Follow us on Google Discover Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy are the two best golfers in the world right now, and they have been for some time.
However, the gap between Scheffler and McIlroy in the world rankings is greater than the one between the Northern Irishman and the bottom-ranked player.
Nothing highlights the 30-year-old’s recent dominance better than that remarkable statistic.
Rory McIlroy has 30 PGA Tour wins to his name, including six majors, so he’s currently ahead of Scottie Scheffler, who has recorded 22 wins, with four major victories.
McIlroy and Scheffler greatly respect one another and they have undoubtedly pushed each other on over the past few years.
Photo by Ben Jared/PGA TOUR via Getty Images
However, it’s fair to say that the world number one has been in a league of his own for a long time now.
And the different approaches they take to their careers is quite obviously the reason behind that.
Rory McIlroy is at a different stage of his career than Scottie Scheffler
McIlroy spoke to reporters after the Tour Championship and admitted that he seriously struggles with finding the motivation to compete at times.
“I think once you start to lose your enthusiasm to go to the course, it’s time to take a break,“ he replied.
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“Yeah, look, I’ve turned up to events that I haven’t necessarily wanted to be there because I feel like I should be there, and I’ve never — like if I’m going to show up to a tournament, I want to perform at my best and play my best, and there’s been times when I haven’t done that.
“It’s frustrating to me, but it’s also at the same time like no one wants to see me just go through the motions and be out there. I feel like — like this is my third week in a row, I rarely do that anymore. I feel like that’s my limit.
“Like if I had to tee it up again next week — like when the playoffs used to be four events instead of three, that to me is tough.
“I think the last time I played four in a row might have been in 2024, and in the fourth week, I was like I’m done. I’m never doing this again.
“Again, I’m 37. I’ve been at this, this is my 18th or 19th year as a pro. Maybe my fuse is a little shorter than it used to be.“
McIlroy has obviously earned the right to do whatever he wants now.
And, as he said, he’s 37 – seven years older than Scheffler.
Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images
However, there is an innate difference in the way that the American operates in comparison to the Northern Irishman.
The six-time major champion didn’t touch a golf club after the Open Championship in July until the FedEx St. Jude Championship last month.
He enjoyed himself in Ibiza which, again, is absolutely fine. McIlroy can do what he wants. However, Scheffler is built differently.
Scottie Scheffler’s mindset summed up after Tour Championship win
After the world number one’s victory at the Tour Championship eight days ago, he explained how he planned to take a couple of days off to enjoy his win before getting back to working on his game later in the week.
“I feel like I’m always just trying to figure things out,“ Scheffler admitted.
“I feel like even after winning this week, I went on that long, long deal at The Open a couple years ago, and I’m kind of back there again. Part of what’s great about golf and part of what’s very frustrating about golf is it’s kind of an endless puzzle you’re always trying to solve.
“I’m sitting here and I’m excited to get rest for a few days, but then I’m excited to get back and start working again. I feel like in order to become good at this game, you have to really enjoy the harder parts of it, the stuff that’s a little bit more mundane.
“Whether it be working on my endurance in the bike in the gym or working out when I don’t want to or going out to the course and practicing the things that can be a little more tedious that other guys may not, I feel like late on Sundays stuff like that has a tendency to show up. I’m very proud — like I said, I want to be able to tell myself that I did everything I could in order to play well.
“Sitting here today, I feel like that’s the case, and going forward throughout my career, I hope that that always continues to be the case. I take a lot of pride in that. This will be one I’ll try and soak in for the next couple of days and then we’ll get back to work probably Thursday or Friday. The grind continues.“
Scottie Scheffler’s approach to his career is mundane in one aspect.
He works harder than anyone else in an attempt to find that 1% improvement. His only goal is to perform to the very best of his ability every single time he tees it up.
When he isn’t playing or practicing, he is at home with his family. Scottie Scheffler’s golf doesn’t define who he is, but he undoubtedly has a burning desire to win.
And he must know that he has a great chance to put himself among the greatest golfers of all time over the next decade or so.
Scottie Scheffler’s approach to the game is very different to Rory McIlroy’s right now, and as a result, the American will most likely continue to dominate over the course of the next five years or so.
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