Scottie Scheffler gets honest about Rory McIlroy’s ‘close calls’: “He didn’t lose, he got beat”
Like the rest of the golfing world, Scottie Scheffler has seen Rory McIlroy come close in a number of recent tournaments but fail to seal the deal. For Scheffler, these are inherent stages in the game of golf.
Speaking from the Royal Montreal Golf Club, Canada, home of the 2024 Presidents Cup, Scheffler reflected on McIlroy's case. Scheffler said these are situations that just 'can happen'.
That's what Scheffler said during his pre-Presidents Cup press conference (via ASAP Sports):
"Sometimes in this game the breaks go your way and sometimes they don't. You know like Rory's had some close calls. He has a playoff last week, and a guy eagles the final hole to beat him, and that's kind of a tough deal. He didn't lose, he got beat. So that can happen."
Scottie Scheffler gave examples from his own personal experience to expand on his views:
"Sometimes the breaks fall your way, like Tom Kim and I in the playoff at Travelers. He did birdie 18 to get in the playoff, but then he made a bogey on the playoff hole. Just little things like that sometimes can help."
Rory McIlroy has four runner-up finishes in the 2024 season, always with a chance to win until the very last moment. The most famous of these was the US Open, joined by the Dubai Invitational, the Irish Open and the BMW PGA Championship, all on the DP World Tour.
However, McIlroy did win three tournaments during the season (the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and the Wells Fargo Championship on the PGA Tour and the Hero Dubai Desert Classic on the DP World Tour). His season is not yet over as he still has some European Tour commitments.
Scottie Scheffler on teaming up with Rory McIlroy against LIV stars: "It sounds like fun"
Scottie Scheffler also answered questions about the much-anticipated match, which will see him team up with Rory McIlroy against LIV Golf stars Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka. He said he was "definitely" interested when it was presented to him (during the same press conference):
"It sounds like fun...those [Koepka and DeChambeau] are two guys I really miss competing against... It definitely interested me."
Scheffler also assessed his 2024 season, which he described as "solid". A big part of the secret to his success, he said, was that his putting worked well at many clutch moments.
The World No. 1 also said that his preparation is not about measuring results, but about improving his game every day. This, he said, is his way of measuring his progress at such a successful stage of his professional career.
Scheffler is coming off a season in which he won six tournaments, including the Masters Tournament, the Players Championship and four Signature Events. He also won the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics.