Sky Sports analyst Rich Beem weighs in on Scottie Scheffler's extraordinary Open soliloquy

Former PGA Championship winner turned Sky Sports analyst Rich Beem says Scottie Scheffler is 'perfectly correct'. 

Scheffler may have won three major championships and an Olympic gold medal but the American got tongues at the start of the week by telling attendees of his pre-Open news conference he's not sure why he even plays the sport. 

The 29-year-old delivered a five-minute soliloquy at Royal Portrush on Monday where he admitted life as a professional golfer is not fulfilling. 

"What's the point?" Scheffler asked, as he explained his victories feel good for 'about two minutes'. 

Naturally, his comments have been widely shared and discussed. 

Two-time Open winner Padraig Harrington told reporters yesterday he didn't understand the point Scheffler was trying to articulate. 

Justin Rose also weighed in on the subject.

Beem, who won the PGA Championship in 2002, admitted to a small number of reporters including GolfMagic that he was initially perplexed with Scheffler's thoughts. 

"And it seemed like, well, if you're not, if you don’t get any satisfaction from doing this, then what's the point?" Beem said. 

"But I think the more that I read into the comments and understood, put myself in his position a little bit, and I'm thinking about my successes, he's perfectly correct.

"No matter what it is you do, and it's probably more in America because as a golfer who's had success, you know, any sportsman, past or present, that has done anything of significance, you guys seem to embrace and enjoy.

"Whereas a lot of the times, as soon as you get done and you walk out of that media centre with a trophy as a champion, what’s next?

"Because you're going to go home, you're going to enjoy it, and then the media is going to start asking, you know, well, can he do this? Will he do that? That's the job of them. You almost kind of get lost in the shuffle."

Beem said Masters champion Rory McIlroy has likely dealt with the same issues. 

"But you almost kind of get lost in the shuffle of like just, you know, like Rory.

"Two days later, talking about the Grand Slam of 2025 – 'Rory's got a great chance of winning it'. 

"At what point was he ever able to sit there and just bask in the glory of competing something that nobody, only six or five players before him has ever done? That part of it, I can understand."