Rory McIlroy's Scottie Scheffler assessment speaks volumes after glaring gap forms
Rory McIlroy fell well short of FedEx Cup champion Scottie Scheffler this campaign, with the Northern Irishman ending the 2024 season in a tie for ninth at the Tour Championship
Rory McIlroy has highlighted the key differences between his own form and that of FedEx Cup champion Scottie Scheffler following the end of the 2024 PGA Tour season.
Scheffler was the man who deservedly came out on top, rounding off a superb year with his first FedEx Cup title following victory at the Tour Championship at East Lake on Sunday. Having started season finale at 10-under-par thanks to the staggered strokes system, Scheffler eventually won by four, ending the week at 30-under.
His victory in Atlanta was his seventh on the PGA Tour this season, with the world No. 1 also clinching the Players Championship and the Masters this campaign, as well as a group of Signature Events throughout.
There is no doubt Scheffler has been a cut above the rest all year, with one of his usual big rivals in McIlroy left trailing behind. It proved to be a mixed term for the Northern Irishman, who despite winning twice on the PGA Tour, will have felt like he somewhat under-performed, finishing tied-ninth in the FedEx Cup standings.
He ended his season in the United States impressively, shooting a bogey-free five-under-par 67 at East Lake to secure him a top-10 finish. Speaking after the tournament, the four-time major champion opened up on the distinct differences between his, and Scheffler's play this season. "He makes more birdies than I do and he makes less bogeys," he claimed.
"That sort of adds up to him being a little bit better right now. I think the one thing I've always admired about Scottie is the amount of bogey-free rounds he shoots. If you just go back over the last two, three years and you look at how many rounds he shoots that he'll shoot like four-under par, no bogeys, doesn't look spectacular at all, but it's just so solid.
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"[He] doesn't really put himself out of position. When you don't make a ton of bogeys, the field has got to do something really special to keep up." McIlroy knows exactly what it is like to be in the shoes of Scheffler, having announced himself as the FedEx Cup's most succesful player, winning the event a record three times.
Having been there and done it, the 35-year-old knows exactly how important momentum is when forming a run of form similar to the world No. 1's. "Yeah, I think golf is such a game of momentum," McIlroy commented. "And when the momentum is going with you and you're making birdies and you're shooting scores in the 60s all the time, all you see are birdies and shooting scores in the 60s.
"It's like a self-fulfilling sort of thing. Then when you get it going the wrong way in golf and you're seeing bogeys, all you see is bogeys and you're shooting in the 70s and you're struggling -- I think at the peak of his powers, his confidence is as high as it ever has been, and it's a pretty nice feeling to have on the golf course."
McIlroy's 2024 campaign is not over with the end of the PGA Tour. His attention will now turn to winning yet another Race to Dubai title, with the Northern Irishman set to turn his attention back to the DP World Tour.
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