What really motivates Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler? The answer might surprise you 

When golfers reaches such heights that they close in on immortality, it is difficult to wonder what still motivates them.

Rory McIlroy reached that stage at the Masters 15 months ago. Scottie Scheffler is well on his way too, only a US Open away from joining the Northern Irishman in the gilded career Grand Slam club. In truth, that tournament has never felt like an obstacle for Scheffler that is entwined in any lingering doubt.

And so as they prepare for this week’s Open Championship at Royal Birkdale – their final crack at a major until their next visit to Augusta National in 268 days’ time – both McIlroy and Scheffler feel intrinsically linked by their ascension to greatness.

They are inarguably the best players in the world, hold ten majors between them and are now at the point where they are playing to burnish their legacies and shatter more records in the process.

Or are they?

McIlroy and Scheffler were both asked about the legacy they will leave behind for future generations, as things turned rather morbid in the Royal Birkdale press room on Tuesday afternoon.

“I don’t really care,” says McIlroy of how he might be remembered. “I would like to think that the people that love and care about me think a certain way of me, but yeah, I’ll be long gone.

“I’ll be dead. I don’t think I’ll be seeing what people say about me. I’ll be six feet under. I don’t think I’ll be a ghost! Yeah… I don’t care.”

He continued: “I think it would be a pretty unfulfilling pursuit if you’re just chasing records and chasing results. You have to enjoy the process. You have to enjoy the journey to get there. I’ve learned that the hard way at times by chasing results and chasing records too much.

“You start to focus on your craft and your practice and doing the things you need to do to try to become a better golfer, and then if you do that, the results and the winning almost take care of themselves, or at least you put yourself in position enough to at least step through the door a few times.

“Winning – it’s not a real tangible goal, right? So the real goal is I want to do this with my swing or I want to hit this sort of shot or I want to feel good when I’m over the ball, whatever it is.

“If you do that stuff enough times, hopefully you get yourself in a position to win. Then from there, yeah, you can start to think about winning the tournament. But if all you’re thinking about is winning and results, you’re playing the wrong game.”

Scheffler concurs.

The world No.1 delivered a famous soliloquy before winning his first Open at Royal Portrush 12 months ago, starting an unexpected debate about the fleeting euphoria that comes alongside his dominance.

Scheffler did not wish to revisit last year’s existential comments here –  “I don’t want to start rambling again because that’s what I did last year and we got a little bit off the rails,” he joked – but he was then pushed on whether his mentality has changed since his rampant success.

“I don’t really play for a place in history,” he said. “I’m not playing for anything like that because – this is going to sound a little morbid – at the end of the day, I’m going to live my life, and it’s going to end. When it ends, I’m going somewhere else, and I’m not going to be here anymore.

“Legacy and all that stuff was never really something that motivated me. For me, it was always competition. I loved playing golf. I loved waking up with butterflies because I’m going out to play a tournament and I get a chance to compete today.

“I love those feelings, and when I retire, I’m going to miss them.For me, I was always trying to get out, play, get the most out of myself, and I love the challenge of trying to play golf. I love trying to get the most out of myself, trying to manage not only my body but my mind as well, and trying to control this little golf ball and to get it to do the things that I want to do with it.

“Those are the things that motivate me and try to get the most out of myself. I’ve never been one to play for history or legacy or anything like that.”

So both McIlroy and Scheffler are directly chasing a more tangible feeling of contentment and improvement, rather than silverware. Their greatness is just a byproduct.

Of course, a second Claret Jug for either superstar this week in Birkdale, though, would feel more than just an added bonus.