What happened to Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler at Genesis Invitational?

Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler finished at T29 and T12, respectively, at the 2023 Genesis Invitational. Scheffler started the final with a birdie on the first hole, only to end the day with five birdies and three bogeys to finish at 68 to score under 8. He finished in two ways tied alongside Harris English.

McIlroy also started the round with a birdie and then made a bogey on the third hole. He made four birdies and four bogeys to finish at 71 to end the day at a scoring deficit of four.

Rory McIlroy finished in a four-way tie alongside Kramer Hickok, Aaron Rai, and Luke List.

McIlroy subsequently had a good start to the tournament but struggled as the game proceeded. Speaking about his performance on the first day, Rory said:

"It looked like I didn't have a backswing, but I didn't realize the angle, like how far right the green actually was. I got lucky with the tee shot that I had a swing, but I hit a great shot and was delighted to walk away with a par."

He went on to say:

"Because I do. I'm playing well. I feel like consistency-wise, I've been as good as I have been ever in my career. I said at the end of last year, I feel like as complete of a player as I ever have. If you just look at my statistical categories, there's no real glaring weaknesses there. I've worked really hard on that, to try to become a more well-rounded player."

Noticeably, Jon Rahm won the tournament after taking a two-stroke lead over Max Homa. He took home a cheque of $3.6 million in prize money.

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Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy drop from their positions in the Official World Golf Rankings

McIlroy and Scheffler not only lost the tournament but also slipped from their positions in the world rankings. The golfers have been fighting to maintain the lead in the world's official rankings for the year, but Jon Rahm came from behind to top the tally.

Rahm, who won three tournaments in 2023, topped OWGR after the conclusion of the Genesis Invitational. He surpassed Scottie Scheffler, who regained top position last week after winning the WM Phoenix Open.

At the start of the 2023 Genesis Invitational, Jon Rahm was ranked third. However, as the tournament proceeded, he clinched the trophy with a cheque of $3.6 million in prize money and became world No.1.

Scottie Scheffler slipped into second position while Rory McIlroy is currently in third position.

They have both been fighting to clinch the top title for a year. After winning the Masters in 2022, Scheffler surpassed McIlroy to top the OWGR. Later in October, the Northern Irish golfer clinched back his World No.1 ranking.

Scottie Scheffler once again topped the leaderboard last week, only to lose to Jon Rahm on Sunday, February 19.

Here is the list of the world's official golf rankings:

• 1. Jon Rahm
• 2. Scottie Schauffler
• 3. Rory McIlroy
• 4. Patrick Cantlay
• 5. Cameron Smith
• 6. Xander Schauffele
• 7. Will Zalatoris
• 8. Max Homa
• 9. Justin Thomas
• 10. Collin Morikawa

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