Lando Norris praises Scottie Scheffler after The Open winner’s ‘unfulfilled’ comment

The Open Championship winner Scottie Scheffler caused a stir at Royal Portrush by claiming he is ‘unfulfilled’ by his extraordinary level of success at the top of the golf world

Formula 1 title contender Lando Norris has spoken out in support of Scottie Scheffler after the golf superstar’s eye-catching comments made at last weekend’s The Open Championship. The American lifted the Claret Jug for the first time with a comfortable victory at Royal Portrush, winning by four strokes over nearest challenger Harris English.

It was Scheffler’s fourth Major win and 22nd professional tournament success, having dominated golf since his breakout year in 2022. He has now spent 150 consecutive weeks as the number one ranked golfer on the planet and is almost 300 points ahead of second-placed Rory McIlroy in the Official World Golf Ranking.

Aged 29, Scheffler is already fourth on the list of all-time top earners from the PGA Tour, having won £67,725,863 in prize money alone during his relatively short career to date, and his trajectory has been compared to that of megastar Tiger Woods. Still, he made it clear when speaking to reporters at The Open that he feels there is something missing.

Scheffler caught the eye by saying: “Look at this week, for example. What’s the best-case scenario? I win this golf tournament, and then I’m going to show up in Memphis, and it’s like, ‘Okay, listen, you won two Majors this year, what are you going to do this week?’

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“If I come in second this week or if I finish dead last, no matter what happens, we’re always on to the next week. The show goes on. Sometimes the feeling of winning only lasts a few seconds. You work your whole life to celebrate winning a tournament for a few minutes. It only lasts a few minutes, that kind of euphoric feeling.

“To get to live out your dreams is very special, but at the end of the day, I’m not out here to inspire the next generation of golfers. I’m not out here to inspire someone to be the best player in the world because what’s the point? This is not a fulfilling life. It’s fulfilling from the sense of accomplishment, but it’s not fulfilling from a sense of the deepest places of your heart.”

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While those comments drew surprised reactions from many, they resonated with Norris. The McLaren racer is also a keen golfer in his spare time and, like Scheffler, has been open about his mental health ever since he first burst onto the scene in F1 back in 2019.

“I quite liked what Scottie said,” said the Brit, reflecting on his own short-lived high after winning his home race, the British Grand Prix, for the first time two weeks ago. “I respect that he’s quite honest about his whole feelings about everything. It’s just honest about what he wants. Not everyone has to say what everyone believes in and what everyone thinks should be correct or not correct.

“I’m happy that someone that high up, achieving what he’s done, he’s performing to the same level that Tiger did in many circumstances. And that’s pretty amazing to see him come out and say something like that. So I respect that a lot. And I related to a lot of it in many ways, which is cool.

“It’s not a bad attitude, it’s just his own way of achieving what he achieved. And I think you have to respect something like that. I found it, I admired that kind of thing. I love golf… I still support Rory more than anyone, the Brits. I thought it was fascinating and cool to see someone performing at such an incredibly high level come out and just say what he did.”