Scottie Scheffler makes unusual move in preparation for The Open Championship

Scottie Scheffler will be hoping to add a third major championship to his CV at next week’s Open Championship, but will head to Royal Troon after three weeks away

Scottie Scheffler opted not to get some links golf preparation for The Open Championship after deciding to skip competing in this week’s Scottish Open.

Scheffler will be gunning to win the Claret Jug at Royal Troon for the first time and heads into the final major of the year as a clear favorite thanks to his dominance in 2024. Interestingly though, the American opted not to compete against his rivals at The Renaissance Club.

The Scottish Open was smartly moved in the calendar to take place the week before The Open, which allowed those competing some much-needed preparation for the challenge that links golf brings compared to that in the United States.

The man defending the title this week is world No. 2 Rory McIlroy, who prevailed as champion last year after pipping home favorite Robert MacIntyre to the crown at the 72nd hole. McIlroy is one of four of the top-five players in the world in action in North Berwick this week, with 2022 champion Xander Scahuffele, Ludvig Aberg, and Wyndham Clark all teeing it up.

The one member of the top five not competing in Scotland is Scheffler, who has missed the last three events on the PGA Tour leading up to next week’s Open Championship. His last outing came at the Travelers Championship last month, where he once again walked away as a champion.

Scheffler became only the fifth man in history to win six or more times on the PGA Tour in one season, joining Nick Price, Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, and Tom Watson. The win at the Travelers was one of his most dramatic yet, as he pipped his close friend Tom Kim in a tense playoff at TPC River Highlands.

The world No. 1’s decision to take a break before The Open however does not come as too much of a surprise, following his previous comments at the U.S. Open. A lackluster showing saw Scheffler finish the third major of the year in a tie for 41st at Pinehurst No. 2, outlining that he was not keen on playing the week before a flagship event having won The Memorial just days earlier.

“I think maybe my prep would have been a little bit better for this week if I was at home,” he claimed at the U.S. Open. “I’m obviously not going to skip Jack [Nicklaus’] tournament [The Memorial]. It’s a tournament I love playing. It’s a tournament that I’m humbled to be the champion at.

“I feel like going forward, I’ll maybe do things a little bit differently in the weeks leading up to the majors, especially when you know it’s going to be a challenging setup at a US Open.” Instead, Scheffler has been enjoying himself on holiday alongside his wife Meredith, and their new-born Bennett.