Rory McIlroyis a legendary figure in the sport of golf. Last year, he became just the sixth man in history to complete the career Grand Slam by winning the Masters at Augusta. However, even he is capable of appreciating the level of golf that Scottie Scheffler has been displaying.
So much so that McIlroy placed Scheffler on the same level as Tiger Woods, excluding himself from that conversation.
“Scottie just recorded his seventeenth consecutive top-10,” McIlroy said this week from the Pebble Beach Pro-Am. “Look at him last week: he shoots 2-over par in the first round, and he simply puts his game back together piece by piece, finds a way and gets himself into contention on Sunday.”
“He’s relentless. I’ll never stop praising Scottie… I’ve had good runs like that, but they’ve always been a bit more unstable. I think anyone who wants to catch Scottie or get close to him will have to bring that level of play week after week consistently like he does.”
“He really is the first since Tiger [Woods] who is doing this,” McIlroy concluded.
Is he really at Tiger Woods’ level?
The five-time Major winner is not being overly generous. Scheffler’s statistics over the past three years match Woods’ prime years. It is true that Tiger’s reign over golf lasted much longer, with 15 Majors compared to Scheffler’s four, but in terms of consistency it is astonishing.
During the 2024 PGA Tour season, the world No. 1 won eight times, including the Masters, THE PLAYERS, the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Tour Championship. In addition, he earned a gold medal at the Olympic Games.
Then, in 2025, he picked up right where he left off despite missing time after cutting his hand. Scheffler won six more times, including two Grand Slam titles (PGA Championship and The Open).
But it is all the “other” tournaments McIlroy is referring to. The last time the Ridgewood, New Jersey native did not record a top-10 was a tie for 20th at last year’s THE PLAYERS. That was 11 months ago. He has finished inside the top ten in 41 of his last 47 tournaments, winning 16 of them.
In this weekend’s tournament, without a doubt, he once again stands as the favorite to contend for the victory.
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