Latest news with #professionalgolfer
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Scottie Scheffler 'cooking up' new practice facility for Texas Longhorns
Before Scotty Scheffler even teed it up for the first round of the British Open at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, the former Texas Longhorns golfer was making news. In a 5-plus minute answer at his pre-tournament press conference, Scheffler opened up about the balance he's found in his life. While he strives to be the best in the world at his chosen profession, the things that fill his heart with joy are his family and inner circle. "If feels like you work your whole life to celebrate winning a tournament for like, a few minutes. It only lasts a few minutes. That kind of euphoric feeling. ... It's not a fullfilling life. It's not fulfilling from like the deepest places of your heart." - Scottie Scheffler Scheffler is obviously dedicated to his craft. But still, in many corners of the media and the golf world, his motives and desire were questioned. "I'm kind of a sicko. I love putting in the work. I love being able to practice, I love being able to live out my dreams. But at the end of the day, sometimes I don't understand the point." - Scottie Scheffler The Texas Ex has compartmentalized his life. He strives to be good at his job so he can enjoy what fills his heart. His 15-month-old son Bennet, his Highland Park High School sweetheart, wife Meredith and others close to him are what matters to him. Scheffler enjoys the grind of practice. Part of that comes from his time at Texas. On Monday, Texas Longhorns Golf Coach John Fields announced Scheffler would be funding a renovation of the Longhorns' practice facility at UT Golf Club. The complex and driving range will be called "Scheff's Kitchen." Scheffler and Meredith have remained close to Coach Fields and his wife Pearl. Last year, during an alumni pro-am, Scheffler let Pearl wear his Olympic Gold Medal all day. Although the Coach knew his former player had another motive. 'That helped him because he knew everyone wanted to see that gold medal … and Pearl got to be an Olympian for the day. He just finds fun ways to enjoy that moment but not be too overwhelmed by it, and he's really good about it.' - Texas Men's Golf Coach John Fields Other Texas golfers have contributed to the Longhorns golf facility. Jordan Spieth helped design and fund the construction of a six-hole short course at the club called "Spieth Lower 40." And Texas alum, and US Open winner, Tom Kite, recently remastered the team's chipping area. Of course, Scheffler also was back on the UT Campus last year to serve as the guest picker for ESPN College Football GameDay. He also received his first major award on GameDay. In 2022 Fields presented Scheffler with the Jack Nicklaus Trophy, his first PGA Tour Player of the Year award. He's now won it three years in a row. Follow us on X/Twitter at @LonghornsWire. This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Scottie Scheffler to donate new practice facility to Longhorns Golf
Fox News
17-07-2025
- Sport
- Fox News
Kai Trump, granddaughter of Donald Trump, reveals she '100%' wants to be a pro golfer
In August 2024, Kai Trump, the granddaughter of President Donald Trump, made the announcement that she verbally committed to play college golf at the University of Miami. Trump will enroll in 2026 to continue her golf career, something that has been a passion for her ever since she picked up a club at two years old. But while Trump has many different hats she wears, including content creation for her millions of followers on social media, make no mistake: The goal is to be a professional golfer. "Yeah, it is. 100%," she told Fox News Digital, while also discussing her NIL partnership with Accelerator Active Energy on Tuesday. Trump still has one year of high school left before she can get to Miami to help the Hurricanes on the course. And she knows what she needs to do to prepare for that. "Just playing a lot of events, just gaining experience," Trump explained. "But also practice. If I have two hours, I'm not gonna hit a few balls, go on my phone and scroll. No, I'm going to take full-on advantage with the time I have on the course. "I think that's going to get me to the next level for sure, as well as just training in the gym, getting stronger and playing more rounds." In turn, Trump chose Miami because she believes it will help her reach that ultimate goal of playing on a professional tour. "The more golf I play, the better I'll do. Getting experience. Miami gave me a great opportunity, and I'm really looking forward to that," she said. Trump also understands how much of a balance being a student-athlete will be at that level, especially when it comes to her other passions. But she says golf is the top priority the second she steps on campus. And when she's on the course, Trump gets into this competitive state that she feels "you can't really teach." "I don't know, it might just be a family gene or something," she said, smiling. "Yeah, on the course, that's something you can't really teach. But I just have a very competitive side to me, especially having brothers and a big family. You have to be competitive sometimes." If Trump wishes to see those pro dreams fulfilled, being competitive is a necessity as she looks ahead to that next step in a golf career she hopes will be on a tour one day. PARTNERING WITH ACCELERATOR Being a college athlete in today's NCAA means having the ability to profit off your brand, and Kai has already developed quite the following through her social media and content creation passions. In turn, she struck an NIL partnership with Accelerator Active Energy, becoming the brand's first golf NIL partner, while also being an equity partner. Accelerator Active Energy is the brand that earned acclaim for launching "The Livvy Fund" with former college gymnastics champion Livvy Dunne to support women's college athletes. And while Dunne is an equity partner, so is Kansas City Chiefs superstar Travis Kelce. A presidential-themed video, in which Kai addresses "fellow Americans and content creators," announced the move, which she could not be more excited for. "It's pretty cool, especially being partners with such great athletes and being up there too with them," she said. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Times
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
I never expected Scottie Scheffler to give best press conference ever
'There are a lot of people that make it to what they thought was going to fulfil them in life, [but] you get to No1 in the world and they're like, 'What's the point?' I really do believe that, because what is the point? Why do I want to win this tournament so bad? It's something that I wrestle with on a daily basis.' This was one quote from what will perhaps go down as the most frank, raw and profound press conference, well, ever. It involved Scottie Scheffler and if you are surprised as to the identity of the man who spoke the above words, join the club. Press conferences are typically forums that incubate banalities (I know: I've been to a few) but this was a brilliant golfer and reflective man pondering some of the deeper questions confronting someone who has spent most of his life — this brief illumination of existence that is all any of us gets — hitting a silly little ball into a plastic cup. 'It's like showing up at the Masters every year — 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. 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.' Forgive the length of the quotes I'm sharing but this is the only way to get a sense of the scale of his foray into existential candour. Scheffler went on: 'I literally worked my entire life to become good at golf and have an opportunity to win that tournament,' he said. 'Then it's like, 'OK, what are we going to get for dinner?' Life goes on. It only lasts a few minutes, that kind of euphoric feeling.' It wasn't so much the words that struck home as his facial expression, conveying the aching sense of anticlimax. I perhaps should say that Scheffler is not alone in having opened up in this way. I remember talking to Victoria Pendleton (albeit in a one-on-one interview, rather than a press conference) and she spoke hauntingly about the 'worst thing' to have happened to her. She had worked for years, nurturing the dream of climbing to the top of the Olympic podium — and then won gold. 'You have all this build-up for one day, and when it's over, it's, 'Oh, is that it?' ' she said. 'People think it's hard when you lose. But it's almost easier to come second because you have something to aim for when you finish. When you win, you suddenly feel lost.' Over the years, I've heard similar sentiments from Jonny Wilkinson, Billie Jean King, Ronnie O'Sullivan and Martina Navratilova. James Toseland, the motorsports legend, wept in the privacy of his hotel room after winning the Superbike world title. Steve Peters, the psychiatrist, has compared it to a sense of bereavement. 'A number of people I've been in touch with following the Olympics, people who'd succeeded, said the same. They felt quite depressed, almost like a sense of loss.' You may be thinking: 'Get over yourselves, you're earning loads of money for doing something you enjoy.' And it's a fair point. But isn't there a kernel of wisdom contained in this testimony too? The dream we are often sold is that if we make a million, or buy our first Porsche, (or capture the Green Jacket), we will experience an epiphany, perhaps even lasting bliss. But what many people find at the end of the yellow brick road is a mirage, an apparition, a false promise. One thinks of Robert Louis Stevenson's words: 'To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive.' If this sounds gloomy, I'm glad to say that this is where Scheffler shifted gears and talked about where true meaning is to be found. You see, he's a dad, a husband, a son; a man immersed in that intricate network of mutual support and love we call family. These are the people for whom one's triumphs are a blessing, who strangely take more joy from our successes, and us from theirs, than either of us are capable of taking for ourselves. And this is why whether we're playing golf or stacking shelves at Asda, as my dear mum used to do, those of us with the gift of a loving family have something more precious than diamonds or a million Green Jackets. As Scheffler put it (and my heart leapt at his words): 'I'm blessed to be able to come out here and play golf. But if my golf ever started affecting my home life or if it ever affected the relationship I have with my wife or with my son, you know, that's going to be the last day that I play out here for a living. I would much rather be a great father than I would be a great golfer.' Amen. Royal PortrushThursday-SundayTV Sky Sports, coverage starts 6.30am
National Post
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- National Post
On Tour: World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler makes startling confession
Article content WATCH BELOW: On the latest episode of On Tour with Jon McCarthy, Postmedia's Rob Wong chats with Toronto SUN National Golf Writer Jon McCarthy about Scottie Scheffler's comments regarding his life as a professional golfer and how he thinks Scheffler will fare at this week's Open Championship at Royal Portrush.
National Post
09-07-2025
- Health
- National Post
Canadian pro healthy, playing competitive golf again after scary on-course accident
Brigitte Thibault was practising for a mini-tour event outside Orlando, Fla., last December, when a recreational player on an adjacent hole shanked her hybrid off the fairway, firing the ball into the back of the young professional golfer's head. Article content Thibault's hands instinctively flew to the back of her head as she lost consciousness and sank to the ground. Article content Article content 'I remember the vibration because it was so loud in my head,' recalled Thibault on Tuesday. 'I remember thinking, 'what the hell just hit me?' Article content Article content 'Then I opened my eyes and I was on the ground. I remember looking at both of my hands and they were just full of red blood.' Article content The 26-year-old from Rosemere, Que., was rushed to hospital where she was diagnosed with a concussion. The doctors also told her that she was 'lucky' that the blood was flowing outwards and that there was no serious internal bleeding. Article content Indeed, she didn't even need any stitches. Article content Thibault said she basically slept non-stop for the next two weeks and then returned to the gym to build her strength back up. But the damage the accident did to her nervous system and the lingering post-traumatic stress disorder have been harder to shake. Article content 'For like a week and a half to two weeks, I was waking up because I would re-feel the vibration or see the hands (covered in blood),' said Thibault. 'It's strange to explain.' Article content Even as she physically recovered and the nightmares faded, PTSD episodes continued to surprise Thibault for weeks after the incident. Article content 'A dog barks or a baby would cry, it would trigger a whole panic attack, as if I was getting attacked,' said Thibault, noting she hasn't had any episodes since the first week of February. 'I'll feel like there's going to be a panic attack, but then I don't start crying or anything more. Article content Article content 'When the accident happened, I was so caught off guard (…) that anything that would catch me off guard, post that event, would alarm my whole nervous system.' Article content Determined to return to her career, Thibault resumed playing competitive golf in March with her first event of 2025 sponsored by the same company as the fateful mini-tour event, also in the Orlando area. Article content 'I was driving to the course, and I started crying, because I was just like, 'this feels too much the same,'' she said. 'It's strange to explain. Article content 'I mean, I still don't know if something's gonna pop out, but for now, I feel pretty much back to my normal self.' Article content Thibault is now playing on the Epson Tour, the feeder circuit for the top-flight LPGA Tour, and has appeared in six events so far this year. Although she hasn't gotten the results she'd like, missing the cut in her past five tournaments, she feels like her game is close.
