The Open: Rory McIlroy and Scotty Scheffler engage in awkward exchange about future legacies ahead of Royal Birkdale | golf news

Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy have both dismissed concerns about how their future legacies are perceived ahead of their latest bid for greater success at The Open.

The world’s top two are among the favorites to win the final men’s major of the season, with Scheffler returning as the defending champion and McIlroy heading for his victory at The Masters in April.

The pair cemented their status as generational talents and among the best players of the 21st century with 10 major wins and 50 PGA Tour titles, though neither claim to be concerned about how they’re remembered when they’re no longer around.

“No, I don’t really care,” McIlroy said in his pre-tournament press conference. “I’d like to think that people who love and care about me feel a certain way about me, but yeah, I’ll be gone a long time. I’ll die.

“I don’t think I’ll care what people say about me. I’ll be six feet under. I don’t think I’ll be a ghost… I don’t care!”

He later added: “I think it would be a pretty unfulfilling pursuit if you were only chasing records and chasing results. You have to enjoy the process. You have to enjoy the journey to get there. I’ve learned that a lot of times chase results and chase records the hard way.”

“You start focusing on your craft and your practice and doing whatever you have to do to try to become a better golfer. If you do that, the results and the wins will almost take care of themselves, or at least you’ll put yourself in a position to at least get a foot in the door a few times.

“You’re obviously trying to win, but winning isn’t really the real goal, right? The real goal is I want to do this with my swing or I want to hit this kind of shot or I want to feel good when I’m on the ball, whatever it is.

“If you do these things enough times, hopefully you’ll put yourself in a position to win. Then from there, yes, you can start thinking about winning tournaments. But if you’re thinking about winning and results, you’re playing the wrong game.”

Scheffler is looking to become the first player since Padraig Harrington to win back-to-back editions of The Open, a year after questioning his maturity in the game in his pre-tournament press conference before the victory.

The defending champion got philosophical again this time, telling reporters: “I’m not really playing for a place in history. I’m not playing for anything because – as this sounds a bit corny – at the end of the day, I’m going to live my life, and it’s going to end.

“When it’s over, I’m going somewhere else, and I’m not going to be here anymore. Legacy and all that stuff wasn’t something that motivated me. For me, it was always the competition. I loved playing golf.”

Scheffler added: I never once thought about how I would be remembered. To me, it doesn’t really matter from a sense of accomplishment. When I die, ‘Hey, Scotty won four majors and 20 tournaments and he won this much money’ – it has zero effect on me.”

McIlroy’ trending’ fresh big bid ahead

The Northern Irishman admitted to having issues with his game after an inconsistent week at the Genesis Scottish Open, where he finished fifth after a final-round 64, with McIlroy still adjusting ahead of his bid for a seventh major title.

“I think it depends on what time of day you find me,” McIlroy said of his playing conditions. “It’s funny, the first two days in Scotland I felt really good and then it seemed like my game got worse as the week went on. Even though I shot a good score on Sunday, it didn’t feel too good.

“I’ve been doing pretty well the last few days, getting out the trackman, seeing what my numbers are, and trying to match my swing feelings to what I’m seeing. Also, I played 30 holes on Sunday. I felt a little tired yesterday, so I didn’t get on the course.

“It gave me a little more time to hit some balls and dig into the swing a little bit. Felt good on the range. Felt good on the course today. Definitely trending in the right direction.”

Scheffler, who missed his first cut since 2022 in the event, added: “You never want to have a weekend off, but when you’re defending you have to go to a tournament, there’s always more to do. So it wasn’t the worst thing in the world, although it was quite disappointing.

“I’d say missing a cut is probably the hardest thing. I don’t think it hurts as much as coming close to winning and finishing second. I felt like coming in second at the Travelers hurt more than missing the cut, but missing the cut is significantly more disappointing.”

When is the Open live on Sky Sports?

Wall-to-wall action kicks off with the final men’s major of the year on Thursday at 6.30am on Sky Sports Golf, the exclusive home of The Open in the UK and Ireland, Sky Sports Golf.

Sky Sports+ or The Sky Sports appwith extended coverage then beginning at 9 a.m. on Saturday and 8 a.m. on Sunday.