Rory McIlroy argument sparks 'not buying it' Scottie Scheffler claim after Open win
Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler find themselves at the centre of a new debate following The Open Championship. Golf pundits are still dissecting Scheffler winning the Claret Jug and the reasons why McIlroy fell short at Royal Portrush.
McIlroy, who was warmly welcomed by the home fans, ended the tournament tied for seventh place with a score of 10-under-par. Despite the strong support, McIlroy couldn't reach the top of the leaderboard, as an unflappable Scheffler secured the trophy on 17-under.
The Open marked Scheffler's fourth major win, a day after McIlroy had described his rival as "inevitable". Scheffler's victory and McIlroy's comments have fuelled a fresh debate about a potential gap between the two players, but pundits have been left divided.
In a post-round interview with Sky Sports, McIlroy praised Scheffler: "Scottie Scheffler is... he's inevitable. Even when he doesn't have his best stuff, he's become a complete player. He's so good around the greens. He's improved so much with his putter. "
The 29-year-old's triumph at The Open led to speculation about whether McIlroy feels there's a growing divide between him and Scheffler. However, not all pundits agreed. Speaking on the Sky Sports Golf podcast, Rob Lee said: "I think he's very conscious of it. Rory, for a lot of us, most of us, on his day, the best player in the world.
"If they're all on their day, Jon Rahm, everybody else, [Scheffler] is the best player in the world. So I'm now saying, on their day, Scottie Scheffler's the best player in the world." However, Mark Roe disagreed with his colleague regarding the difference between McIlroy and Scheffler. "I'm not buying this gulf. I'm not buying it, no," Roe responded.
Elaborating on Lee's claim about Scheffler being the world's best, Roe countered: "Do you think if Rory came this week – we've talked about his driving not being great – and played his absolute A-game and drove it the best he could..
"He shot 61 around there when he was 16. I don't buy that. I think if Rory had come and played as good as he can play, I think he wins. I think he wins."
Attempting to resolve the discussion, fellow pundit Richard Boxall weighed in on who would triumph if Scheffler and McIlroy faced each other 100 times. Boxall delivered his conclusion: "I'd say, if they played them in matchplay, I think Rory would win. If they played them in stroke play, I'd play Scheffler would win."
McIlroy claimed his fifth major championship and completed a career Grand Slam with his Masters triumph in April. The 36-year-old had also secured victories at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Players Championship before travelling to Augusta, though McIlroy has since failed to match the commanding form he displayed in the opening months of the year.
Scheffler, who has held the world No. 1 ranking since May 2023, has shown remarkable consistency, securing 13 top-10 finishes across 16 tournament appearances this year. He has captured both the PGA Championship and Open titles while also triumphing at the Byron Nelson and Memorial Tournament.
McIlroy spoke openly about Scheffler's performance following his third round at Portrush: "He's playing like Scottie. I don't think it's a surprise. Everyone's seen the way he's played over the last two to three years.
"He's just so solid. He doesn't make mistakes... he's turned himself into a really consistent player, as well.
"There doesn't seem to be any weakness there. Whenever you're trying to chase down a guy like that, it's hard to do. But he's incredibly impressive."
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