CNN
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Another major championship means another opportunity for Scotty Schaeffler.
The 29-year-old world No. 1, who won the third major in the May PGA Championship at Quazul Hollow Golf Club, is preferred to win the Open Championship at Royal Portrush this week.
By winning, Schaeffler has been supported by his patient approach to the game that led to 16 PGA Tour wins, three majors and counting.
If he wins the fourth major title in Northern Ireland, Schaeffler will add to his growing resume. The list of boys golfers who will win four major titles includes the father-son duo, welcomed from the golf home in St Andrews, Scotland, and the elderly and young Tom Morris of Ernie Elles, South Africa.
Also the third different major Schaeffler won, leaving him with a shy US open victory in a career grand slam. Only Jean Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy have won all four male experts.
That doesn’t mean that it doesn’t make much sense to Schaeffler, who rarely discusses the historical interests of his victory. At a press conference at Royal Portrush on Tuesday, he discussed how quickly victory satisfaction will be scattered.
“It’s great to win a tournament. It’s so much fun,” Schaeffler told reporters. “Sometimes, emotions last only two minutes. When you’re celebrating, it’s like you have to do all this other thing right now.
Schaeffler’s unique entrance hinted at his traits that helped him reach his best on the course.
One of the reasons Schaeffler reached this point, and why he is a favorite this week, is his patience on the course. That’s the idea that was clear during his latest big victory.
Throughout the two rounds of the PGA Championship in May, Schaeffler was a three-stroke from leader Kim Si Woo-leader. He wasn’t playing brilliantly. He doubled the 16th hole to bogeys on Thursday, and admitted there was room for improvement after the opening round.
In the third round, Schaeffler played the first 13 holes at 1 under, sitting on two shots of Bryson Deccanbeau. However, he took advantage of the next five holes to paint the Eagle on the 14th par-4 load and birdie, a driveable par-4, to 15, 17, and 18.
Schaeffler put himself in the first 49 holes. But the last five holes on Saturday were what controlled him.
The final round was a challenge as Schaeffler was two overs on the front nine and became ties with Spain’s John Rahm.
But again, he closed tightly at 2 under 34 on the back nine. As he tapped to close the five-stroke victory, Schaeffler hugged his caddy Ted Scott, raising his arms in the air and slapping his hat on the ground.
His focus and patience were rewarded once again.
“When I step on the tee on Thursday, I don’t think about what will happen on Sunday,” Schaeffler told reporters after winning the tournament. “I’m preparing for a 72 hole event. That’s what I say to myself on the first tee. It’s 72 holes. It’s a lot of time. It’s a lot of holes. It’s a lot of shots.”
Schaeffler’s patient approach has attracted praise from his peers. In the documentary released by the PGA Tour, which recorded Scheffler’s 2024 season, many pros, including two-time winners Morikawa and Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg, came to terms with Scheffler’s patience and focus.
Woods, winner of 82 PGA Tour events and 15 majors, compared Schaeffler’s mindset to himself.
“It’s over 72 holes, not a sprint, this is above the marathon,” Woods said. “I think there are similarities in the way the game is played.”
That mentality has shined throughout the past three and a half years. However, it took Schaeffler a while to develop it.
“I think when I was younger, I’d hold it or explode,” Schaeffler said Tuesday. “Now I’m not only doing a better job of holding it, but I’ll take it over to the next shot and if that makes sense, I think I’m pretty much sharper my focus to where I’m in a better place after a bit of frustration than before.”
Before the 2022 WM Phoenix Open, Schaeffler was one of the best players on the PGA Tour without a victory. He won the Rookie of the Year honor in 2020 and won the top 20 in all six majors he competed in 2020 and 2021. He was part of the US team that won the 2021 Ryder Cup and knocked off Rahm.
But Schaeffler’s playoff victory over Patrick Cantrey in Phoenix was the launch pad.
“I’m sure I can get my first win under the belt and my first win is probably always the most difficult,” Schaeffler told reporters at the time.
Schaeffler won three more tournaments in 2022. This includes two tournaments, including his first major at the Masters and a player championship in 2023.
In 2024, Schaeffler was a machine. He won gold at the Parisian Games and won eight times, including the Masters, Player Championship and Tour Championship. He became the first player to win at least seven events since Woods did that in 2007.
His encore this year was a month late as he suffered a hand injury he suffered while making ravioli for Christmas dinner. Schaeffler hadn’t won by the end of April, but he had already won four times at that point a year ago, but his worst finish was tied for 25th at the WM Phoenix Open. He also finished fourth in the title defense at the Masters.
In early May, Schaeffler won the CJ Cup Byron Nelson Tournament with an eight-stroke. His 31 under par 253 total is the lowest 72 hole in PGA Tour history.
His PGA Championship victory in Charlotte two weeks later made him his third player since World War II, winning three majors and over 15 PGA Tour events before he turned 29. Nicklaus and Woods.
Nicklaus’ repeated victory in the commemorative tournament saw him win three in four tournaments. He and McIlroy are the only players to win the Tour three times this season.
If Schaeffler wins this weekend, his 2025 season will be a good match for 2024. This was his first season with two big wins, and continues to rise that Schaeffler himself cannot fully understand.
However, he insists that golf is not his main focus. His wife, Meredith, son, Bennett, and his faith all take away his day’s work.
“I think it’s a pretty cool feeling to have that kind of sense of accomplishment,” Schaeffler said Tuesday. “It’s very special to make your dream come true, but at the end of the day, I’m not here to inspire the next generation of golfers. I’m not here to inspire you to be the best player in the world.
“This is not a fulfilling life. It’s fulfilling from a sense of accomplishment, but not from the deepest sense of place in the mind.”
One thing is certain. All eyes are on his favourite Schaeffler to win his first open championship this weekend.
