World No 1 Scottie Scheffler has revealed a philosophical approach to his game, admitting he would be a "pretty miserable person" if he allowed his bad golf to define him ahead of this week’s Masters.
Despite his top ranking, the American has experienced a slight dip in form since winning his first event of the year, followed by two top-four finishes.
His subsequent three tournaments have seen him struggle in opening rounds, failing to break 70 in his first 18 holes since January's American Express victory. These events concluded with finishes of tied 12th, tied 24th, and tied 22nd.
Scheffler, a two-time Masters champion, emphasized the mental battle inherent in professional golf.
"Most of the time in golf, you’re probably going to be a little bit disappointed at the end of the week just because there’s only one winner and there’s a lot more losers than that," he stated.
He elaborated on his strategy for maintaining perspective: "I would say it’s always been a battle for me trying to strike a balance between continuing to work hard, staying competitive and also not having either my good golf or my bad golf define me."
He added: "If I let my bad golf define me, I’d be a pretty miserable person. If I let my good golf define me, whether or not it’s a green jacket or an Open Championship, then I’d walk around pretty arrogant all the time and I wouldn’t be very nice to people because I think I’m hot stuff because I won a few golf tournaments."
The world No 1 finds comfort at Augusta National, a venue where he has previously triumphed.
"Once you drive down Magnolia Lane, everything else melts away," he remarked, highlighting the unique atmosphere of the course. Scheffler will be looking to reclaim the honor of the green jacket, a prize he has previously secured twice.
When asked about comparing his current form to previous years ahead of the tournament, Scheffler remained focussed on the present.
"That’s a tough one. I try not to look too far in the past, I try not to look too far in the future," he said, adding, "for me to think about that, that would take a little bit of work, which I don’t want to do right now."
Scheffler will be looking to reclaim the honor of the green jacket, having twice had it taken away from him – by Rory McIlroy last year and Jon Rahm in 2023.
He was asked how much easier he thought it was to win the Masters as a former champion, as opposed to successfully defending your title – which only Jack Nicklaus, Sir Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods have done.
“I think defending can always be difficult but I think that’s mostly just the odds of winning a tournament in back-to-back years,” he added.
“That’s just extremely challenging, especially when you look at these major championships.
“There are some obligations and like at this tournament, there’s some stuff that’s completely new. I think everything’s new when you’re a first-time defending (champion) here.
“You host the (champions) dinner, that’s a big deal. There’s certain things that go on that maybe would make it a touch more difficult, but I wouldn’t say it’s anything too substantial.”
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