Ahead of the The Players Championship in Florida Rory McIlroy shared what it is about defending champion and World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler that makes him so good
Rory McIlroy has provided insight into the continued improvement in Scottie Scheffler’s performance. The golfer solidified his position as the top-ranked player on the PGA Tour with a victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational on March 10th.
The 28-year-old emerged victorious on the last day, surpassing a competitive field by a significant margin of five shots to claim the title.
This victory represents his seventh championship win within a span of two years, highlighting his impressive consistency in creating opportunities to win competitions.
Scheffler has finished inside the top 12 in 25 of his last 30 tournaments and the last time he missed the cut at an event was August 2022. His only weakness at times has been putting, but he is certainly the man to beat heading into the event at the Players Stadium Course.
Scheffler’s closest challenger is World No. 2 McIlroy, who is a former champion at TPC Sawgrass, after claiming victory in 2019. Ahead of Thursday’s event, the Northern Irishman shared some kind words about Scheffler’s game, which is only continuing to improve.
Anyone can pop up and win an event here or there or get on a good run, but the consistent performances that Scottie [Scheffler] has been putting in week-in and week-out – every time he tees it up – is incredible,” McIlroy told Sky Sports. “His ball striking is, honestly, on another level compared to everyone else right now. We knew if he started to hole putts, then this sort of stuff would happen.
The play on the golf course has sort of taken a back seat to everything else [because of the divide in golf], which is a shame. I’d say if we were in a different place in the world of golf, Scottie’s golf would probably be getting a lot more applause and praise.”
McIlroy started the season well with a second-place finish at the Dubai Invitational on January 14, followed by a win at the Dubai Desert Classic a week later. Despite this early success, the 34-year-old has not placed in the top 20 in any of the four events he has competed in after his victory in the Middle East.
The golfer has acknowledged that his performance with his irons in recent tournaments has not been up to par, but he has been pleased with his driving off the tee and is looking to correct his mistakes in time for The Masters in April, which is the first major championship of the year. McIlroy commented, “I had a successful week with my driving once again at Bay Hill. I also feel more confident with my putting now. However, my iron shots have been disappointing.”
For the past few weeks, I have been experiencing a consistent issue. I am facing difficulty with hitting left with my irons, and it is particularly challenging because my longer clubs, like woods, feel great while my irons do not.
As a result, I find myself having to use two different swing techniques for my woods and irons, making it a challenge for me.