Rory McIlroy could not hide his “admiration” towards Scottie Scheffler after the American stormed to victory in The Open Championship at Royal Portrush.
A fourth major championship of his career, in his unique way, Scheffler has now attracted comparisons with Tiger Woods.
And after McIlroy failed to find a spark to mount a late charge on Sunday, finishing in a tie for seventh on -10, Scheffler held his nerve to cruise to a four-shot victory at -17, leaving the Northern Irishman in awe of his rival.
“Admiration,” McIlroy remarked when asked to respond to his Ryder Cup rival’s achievement. “I think all you can do is admire what he does and how he does it.
“I think what he does is one thing, but how he does it is another. He just goes about his business, doesn’t do anything overly flamboyant, but he’s the best at executing in the game right now.
“Yeah, he’s been absolutely amazing over these past two to three years. As I said, all you can do is tip your cap and watch in admiration.”
But McIlroy refused to be drawn on the true impact of Scheffler’s performance, dismissing the notion that it is either motivating or dispiriting.
“Neither,” remarked the Masters champion. “All I can do is focus on myself and try to play the best golf that I can.
“I know that, when I do that, I’ll have my weeks where I’ll contend and hopefully win.”
But McIlroy did admit the level set from Scheffler is something to aspire to in the coming months.
“None of us could hang with Scottie this week,” McIlroy concluded. “He’s an incredible player. He’s been dominant this week. Honestly, he’s been dominant for the last couple years. He is the bar that we’re all trying to get to.
“In a historical context, you could argue that there’s only maybe two or three players in the history of the game that have been on a run, the one that Scottie’s been on here for the last 24 to 36 months. Incredibly impressive.
“Yeah, he’s a very worthy winner. Also, he’s a great person, and I think he’s a wonderful ambassador for our game as well. I’m really happy for him and Meredith and his family.”
