
Scheffler 'couldn't care less' about being British Open favourite
The American has emphatically rebounded from a slow start to the year after suffering a freak hand injury cutting himself on a wine glass, reeling off 10 successive top-10 finishes including three victories.
"I could not care any less about being the favourite or not being the favourite," he said.
"We all start even par and the tournament starts on Thursday. That's pretty much all that matters."
Scheffler produced his best British Open finish last year with a tie for seventh, but ended his tournament at Troon in ignominious style with an embarrassing topped tee shot on the 18th en route to a closing double-bogey.
He has never missed the cut at the links major before, though, and believes he has what it takes to lift the Claret Jug.
"In terms of links golf, I love the style of golf. I think it's really fun and you have to be creative," Scheffler added.
"You have to hit a lot of really good shots. There's a challenge to it, but I think it's a lot of fun.
"We'll see how the weather turns out this week. Weather has a pretty dramatic effect on how the golf course is going to play."
Scheffler won nine titles last season, including the Masters and the Olympic gold medal.
His third major title at the PGA Championship in May is one of his three victories so far this year, but he says he doesn't set himself specific targets.
"I don't look at wins and losses or stuff like that.
"I don't sit down at the beginning of the year and say I want to win X number of times; I want to win this many majors; I want to win this many tournament events. That's not something I do.
"That's not something that works for me."
© 2025 AFP
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


France 24
6 hours ago
- France 24
Second Guardians pitcher on leave under MLB gambling probe
Clase becomes the second Guardians player placed on paid leave as part of the sports betting probe, with starting pitcher Luis Ortiz going on the list July 3 and having his leave extended 10 days ago to August 31. "Per an agreement with the MLBPA (players union), Cleveland Guardians pitcher Emmanuel Clase has been placed on non-disciplinary paid leave through games on August 31 while MLB continues its sports betting investigation," an MLB statement said. "We will not comment further until the investigation has been completed." Clase, a 27-year-old Dominican right-hander in his fifth season with the Guardians. The three-time American League All-Star has led the league in saves in each of the past three campaigns and this year has 24 saves and a 5-3 record with a 3.23 earned-run average and 47 strikeouts over 47 1/3 innings over 48 appearances. Ortiz, a 26-year-old Dominican right-hander obtained in a trade with Pittsburgh last December, is 4-9 this season with a 4.36 earned-run average with 96 strikeouts in 16 appearances this season. Both Ortiz and Clase are allowed contact with the organization while on leave, but they are not permitted at team facilities. The Guardians said no other players or team personnel are expected to be impacted by the investigation. "We have been informed that no additional players or club personnel are expected to be impacted," the team said in a statement. "The Guardians are not permitted to comment further at this time and will respect the league's confidential investigative process as we continue to fully cooperate." A firm that monitors wagers for a strange betting patterns flagged Ortiz pitches on June 15 against Seattle and June 27 against St. Louis, according to multiple reports, but it was not clear why Clase was under scrutiny.


France 24
16 hours ago
- France 24
Three things we learned from Belgian F1 Grand Prix
While old school racers including multiple champions Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen favoured a prompt start on a tricky circuit, younger drivers and team chiefs preferred to back race director Rui Marques's caution and wait for dry weather. AFP Sport looks at three things we learned from Sunday's race at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit: Safety first option sparks lively debate Piastri secured his sixth win of the season, with great aplomb that makes him favourite to beat McLaren team-mate Lando Norris to the drivers' title. The Australian's consistency and mental strength helped him into a 16-point lead after 13 of this year's 24 races, but his drive was overshadowed by post-race arguments about racing in the rain. Ferrari's Hamilton and Red Bull's Verstappen slammed the long delay and choice of rolling start, but others including Mercedes' George Russell and Williams' Carlos Sainz backed the "safety first" decision at a track with a dark history of fatal accidents. "We could've gone miles earlier, an hour earlier," said Verstappen. "It was a shame. It just ruins a nice classic wet race. Either we push to go for a wet race -- or we just stop racing in the wet... and wait for it to be dry. But that's not what you want, right?" Verstappen's car was set up for extreme wet conditions, as forecast, but the decision meant he and others were disadvantaged. He finished fourth. Triumphant McLaren team boss Andrea Stella, celebrating a sixth 1-2 this year, praised the move. "I think the race was managed in a very wise way by the FIA," he said. "We knew there was a lot of rain coming and I think at a circuit like this if you make the calls late, it may be too late -- and the outcome could be difficult." He emphasised the unique risks of the high-speed track through the forested valleys of the Ardennes. "I understand it would be entertaining, but the average speed is so high at Spa that in wet conditions it's impossible to see." New Red Bull chief Laurent Mekies, in his first outing after replacing Christian Horner, said: "I think we were all surprised by how late we started." The former FIA deputy race and safety director added: "Fundamentally, we waited not only for the rain to stop, but also pretty much for the sun to come out -- and then we still had many laps behind the safety car. "I'm sure the FIA had its reasons, but in our case, having based the car towards wet running, it cost us performance, but, it's all part of the game." Red Bull win despite Verstappen losing Verstappen's fourth-placed finish had one upside for Mekies as a performance break clause in his contract lapsed. According to paddock sources, the Dutchman had a right to leave for 2026 if he was outside the top three drivers at the end of July, but his points in Belgium, including a sprint race win on Saturday, mean he cannot be overhauled. Verstappen is third behind the McLaren duo but 28 points ahead of Mercedes' George Russell, whose future was under threat from Verstappen's possible arrival. He cannot catch him even if he wins in Hungary this week. Hamilton eyes turning the corner Hamilton's roller-coaster ride since joining Ferrari continued as he went from 18th, and a pit lane start, to finish seventh. On Saturday, he apologised to Ferrari for his "unacceptable" qualifying while critics noted that, at 40, he was struggling to cope –- two days after revealing he had bombarded senior Ferrari staff with memos for team improvements. After seeing him storm through the field, team chief Fred Vasseur joked Hamilton was now "engineering the car himself", before the Briton revealed he had invited a former Mercedes engineer to join his team. "We'll get stronger together now," he promised.


France 24
17 hours ago
- France 24
Israel begins daily pause in fighting in 3 Gaza areas to allow 'minimal' aid as hunger grows
05:21 28/07/2025 US and EU strike deal with 15% tariff to avert trade war 28/07/2025 Euro 2025 final: England beat Spain in penalty shootout 28/07/2025 Turkey battles wildfires amid strong winds, heatwave 28/07/2025 Thai, Cambodian leaders hold ceasefire talks in Malaysia 28/07/2025 War in Gaza: Israel says 120 trucks of aid distributed 28/07/2025 US and EU clinch deal with 15% US tariff on most EU exports to avert trade war 28/07/2025 Tadej Pogacar wins a fourth Tour de France, Wout van Aert takes the final stage 28/07/2025 Trump and Von der Leyen strike a deal in transatlantic tariff standoff 27/07/2025 Europe