Scottie Scheffler continued his amazing run last weekend by winning the Open Championship at Royal Portrush. However, his time in Northern Ireland has been as significant for his performance inside the courts as for the things he said.
His approach to the part golf plays in his life has been seen as a role model by many of his peers, though others have not seen it the same way. Among the former is LPGA Tour star Lauren Coughlin, who will be defending her Women’s Scottish Open title this week.
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From the iconic Dundonald Links, the venue for the event, Coughlin described how what Scheffler said aligns with her idea of balance between golf and the rest of her life.
“I think his perspective is very unique, and I feel like something that we should aspire to,” she said, according to the transcripts of her pre-tournament press conference. “You know, just the whole gratitude and his worth isn’t defined by him as a golfer. It’s defined by him as a husband and a father, and it’s definitely, like, very aspirational to be.
“I want to be a good wife and hopefully a good friend and hopefully a good mom some day, and to not be so into, like, your identity as a golfer. That’s really hard, and it’s definitely something I struggle with at times. It’s something that we care so much about and we want to do so well. But hearing him say some of those things, you can kind of learn some things from him.”
Before beginning his performance at the Open Championship, Scheffler reflected on the role golf plays in his life. He stated that being a good husband and father is much more important to him than winning tournaments.
Coughlin began her professional career in 2016, but her breakthrough season came last year, when she won the CPKC Women’s Open and the Women’s Scottish Open, her first two LPGA Tour victories.
Other impressive results included her third-place finish at the Chevron Championship and her fourth-place finish at the Amundi Evian Championship. These results led her to the American team in the Solheim Cup, where she contributed 3.5 points in four matches to the victory over Team Europe.
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