Ahead of the Men’s Olympic Golf Competition in Paris, World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler talked about what it would mean to win Gold.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler has arrived in Paris fresh and ready to go, with his sights set on securing a Gold Medal for Team USA in his Olympics debut.
The Men’s Golf Competition kicks off on Thursday at Le Golf National, the host of the 2018 Ryder Cup.
“It would be very special to have the Gold Medal,” Scheffler said Monday.
“If I don’t, my life is certainly not going to end. But it would be extremely special to have a Gold Medal, and it’s definitely one of the reasons why I’m here this week. But I didn’t come here to—I loved going to watch table tennis, but that’s not why I showed up.”
Of course, being an Olympian means a myriad of distractions lurk all around. The festivities in Paris, the different sports, countless media outlets and obligations, and hundreds of thousands of fans have turned the City of Light upside down, making it hard for any golfer to focus on the task at hand.
Golf in the modern Olympics is also a new development, as the sport returned to the quadriennial competition at Rio de Janeiro in 2016. Different golfers also play in this event every four years, leading these routine-oriented players to adapt to a new environment each time around—a tall task for any athlete.
Yet Scheffler remained as calm, cool, and collected as ever on Monday, a big reason why he is the best player in the world and has won six times already this season.
“It’s definitely fun being here and it’s fun being a part of the event,” Scheffler said.
“Looking forward to competing.”
Players, pundits, and fans struggle to calculate the weight of a Gold Medal compared to a major championship or a regular PGA Tour event, as this competition now disrupts pro golf’s schedule every four years. But that conversation does not concern Scheffler in the slightest.
“I try to place an equal amount of value to all the tournaments I play,” Scheffler said.
“I feel like that any time I show up, I’m trying to do my best, and that’s definitely the case this week. It’s definitely special to be part of the Olympics and I’m looking forward to the chance to compete for a medal for our country.”
Scheffler goes into every tournament looking to win. He does not care if the prize is a green jacket, plaid jacket, trophy, or gold medal, even though he admitted that this week's vibe is “different.”
But Scheffler never varies from his approach, which explains why he enters this week’s competition as the favorite—just like in every major and every tournament he has played in all year.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.
