Rory McIlroy knows that Scottie Scheffler is way ahead of the rest of the PGA Tour. Everyone on the tour knows just how phenomenal Scheffler is.
His 2024 season will be one not seen in professional golf since Tiger Woods did it in 2007.
It wasn't a terrible season for McIlory, but he left a lot to be desired, and he explained why Scheffler is better than him and other PGA Tour players.
“He's made more birdies than me and fewer bogeys,” McIlroy said after Sunday's round. That's what's gotten him so good right now. What I've always been impressed with about Scottie is how many rounds he goes without making a bogey.”
“If you look back over the last couple of years and see how many rounds he's shot, it's like four under par, no bogeys – nothing spectacular, but he's just so consistent and stays in position. When you don't shoot a lot of bogeys, the players have to do something special to keep up.”
Photo: Sean M. Hafey/Getty Images
Schaeffler is second to Xander Schauffele in bogey avoidance after the BMW Championship, having made just 9.94 percent of his shots. At the Tour Championship, the two-time major champion had six bogeys, bringing his total to 133 for the season.
For Scheffler, that historic run began in 2022. The former University of Texas Longhorn went from winless on the PGA Tour to now have 13 victories, two major championships, an Olympic gold medal, consecutive Players Championship wins and four of the eight signature events.
Scheffler leads the PGA Tour with a scoring average of 68 and a birdie average of 4.82. His scoring average is the lowest in PGA Tour season history.
He entered the Tour Championship in 2022 and 2023 as No. 1 in the FedEx Cup rankings. McIlroy came from sixth to win in 2022, while Viktor Hovland was dominant in 2023.
Scheffler may have been the front-runner, but the time wasn't right yet. But the time is now.
Why is he so good?
“I think it's his consistency, his attitude,” McIlroy said, “No matter where he is on the leaderboard, I feel like he comes onto the course every day with the same attitude. The way he controls himself on the golf course is great to watch. We'll look back on 2024 and know it was one of the best years a player has had in a long time.”
In 2024, Scheffler won seven times in 19 events, finished second twice, had 16 top 10s and 17 top 25s, and never missed the cut all season.
His consistency makes him a better player than most, and what Scheffler has done in 2024 is remarkable.
Savannah Lee Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation's Playing Through. Follow us for more golf articles. Follow You can follow us on all major social platforms. You can also follow us on Twitter Follow Her Instagram account is @golf_girl_sl.
