Souhan: Ahead of 3M Open, golf’s top star has nuanced thoughts on meaning of winning

This week’s 3M Open at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine won’t feature Scottie Scheffler, the world’s best player, who won the British Open on Sunday.

The 3M Open also won’t feature players from LIV Golf.

I’ll take that tradeoff.

The 3M won’t be dominated by the world’s best golfer, but then again, Minnesota’s only PGA Tour event won’t need to supply observers with Pepto-Bismol.

Scheffler won his fourth major championship Sunday at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland. He has this in common with the 3M field: He did not take Saudi money and did not risk losing his competitive edge while playing in LIV’s silly events.

Non-LIV players have won the last five majors. At this year’s British Open, the highest finisher from LIV Golf was Bryson DeChambeau, who tied for 10th place but was never in contention. He was the only LIV player to finish in the top 15. The 3M field had two players in the top six — Chris Gotterup and 2023 U.S. Open champion Wyndham Clark. Clark is one of six major champions in the 3M field.

If nothing else, the 3M offers an opportunity to ask a diverse, international group of golfers the following question:

How do you beat someone who is as talented and grounded as Scheffler?

He is about to enter his 115th straight week as the world’s top-ranked player. Each of his four major victories has been by at least three strokes. While he got a later start at winning majors than the precocious Tiger Woods, he took exactly the same amount of time between his first and fourth major titles — 1,197 days.

He is an exceptional iron player and short-game artist who has dramatically improved his putting.

Injuries and personal strife short-circuited Woods’ attempt to build by far the greatest career in men’s golf history. Scheffler has always been known for his composure and commitment to family.

In the British Open interview room early last week, Scheffler did something rare for any great athlete. He admitted that winning isn’t all that matters.

What we have learned about the most exceptional athletes is that many are sporting psychopaths.

Michael Jordan invented and exaggerated slights to motivate himself. Woods tried to intimidate competitors with everything from his glare to his workouts and physique to his celebrations.

Tom Brady once liked a social media post in which I said he was the most underpaid quarterback and most overpaid announcer in NFL history. He isn’t even playing anymore and is seeking out slights.

Bill Belichick ran the New England Patriots as if they were the CIA. Some of the most talented baseball players of recent vintage took performance-enhancing drugs. Cyclist Lance Armstrong tried to ruin the lives of those who accurately accused him of taking PEDs.

Instead of motivating himself by creating enemies and demonizing competitors, Scheffler, last week, asked this question about winning majors: “What’s the point?”

“This is not a fulfilling life,” Scheffler said. “It’s fulfilling from the sense of accomplishment, but it’s not fulfilling from a sense of the deepest places of your heart. ...

“That’s something that I wrestle with on a daily basis. It’s like showing up at the Masters every year. It’s like, why do I want to win this golf tournament so badly? Why do I want to win the Open Championship so badly? I don’t know because, if I win, it’s going to be awesome for two minutes.

“You win it, you celebrate, get to hug my family, my sister’s there, it’s such an amazing moment. Then it’s like, OK, what are we going to eat for dinner? ... It feels like you work your whole life to celebrate winning a tournament for like a few minutes.”

Part of Scheffler’s perspective is rooted in privilege. He has made himself and his family rich and could afford to retire tomorrow, unlike athletes who have to grind to make a living.

His perspective is also rooted in reality. If winning is everything, how can you function like a normal person?

If winning is everything, what does that say about the rest of your life?