Scottie Scheffler has lauded Rory McIlroy and suggested that he has been so impressed by just how hard the Northern Irishman has worked over the years.
Scheffler and McIlroy have been the two biggest stars on the PGA Tour for a number of years now. Of course, the 37-year-old has been a superstar of the game for the best part of two decades.
Advertisement
McIlroy is one of six players to have completed the Career Grand Slam, while he added a sixth major championship to his incredible record at The Masters earlier this year.
Despite that victory, it seems likely that it will be Scottie Scheffler who wins the PGA Tour Player of the Year following his win at the FedEx St. Jude Championship this past week.
Scottie Scheffler heaps praise on Rory McIlroy
The world number one registered his 12th top five finish of the season at TPC Southwind. It has been an absolutely remarkable year when you consider that Scheffler has finished second five times.
He obviously still has some way to go to match Rory McIlroy’s longevity. And speaking ahead of the BMW Championship, Scheffler explained what impresses him most about his closest rival.
Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
“Well, he’s competed at a high level for such a long time. Rory’s a guy that when you look at when he won his first tournament to where he is now, he’s a guy that’s just been one of the best players in the world and sustained it for a really, really long time,” he said.
Advertisement
“He works extremely hard. He’s a guy that I always see in the gym, on the practice range, he’s always doing the things that he needs to do in order to play well. He’s definitely a guy that I look up to in a sense just because of how long he’s been able to do it for. It’s quite impressive.”
Rory McIlroy faces a dilemma ahead of the 2027 PGA Tour season
It is going to be fascinating to see what the next chapter of McIlroy’s career holds.
While he did win once again at Augusta National, it is fair to say that McIlroy has not had the greatest year by his standards.
He has been rarely seen on the PGA Tour. And that rustiness came to the fore in Memphis with McIlroy finishing the week on eight over par.
Advertisement
He clearly has different priorities now. No longer do PGA Tour wins seem to really scratch the itch for McIlroy. Instead, it is all about the majors and the Ryder Cup.
The problem for McIlroy is that his limited schedule does not appear to have done him many favours on the course. So some will be hoping that he plays a lot more often in 2027.
Scheffler will probably be among those wanting to see more of McIlroy, as the European is one of the only players who can compete with him when he is at his best.
Read the full article here