Rory McIlroy has once again spoken highly of Scottie Scheffler ahead of this week’s Texas Children’s Houston Open, and the world No. 1 offered a similar response.
McIlroy has been the in-form man on the PGA Tour in 2025, securing wins at both the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am back in February and The Players Championship earlier this month. Despite the recent run, though, the four-time major winner still finds himself behind Scheffler in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) after the American’s incredible 2024.
McIlroy has repeatedly pointed out Scheffler as the man to catch throughout this season and once again spoke of his rival’s recent dominance, which saw him win nine times in a calendar year last campaign.
“I think what Scottie’s done the last couple years in golf is amazing… he’s great for the game,” McIlroy said on Wednesday in Houston. “What he did last year, I don’t think it gets talked about enough. His season last year is up there with one of the all-time great seasons in the history of the game.
“He’s an amazing player, he’s a great person as well, and he’s got a great family. It’s good to see him doing — like, it’s good for the game, and it’s nice to see nice people succeed. I have nothing but respect and admiration for Scottie.”
Scheffler returned the kind words in his own press conference at Memorial Park, having seemingly become a motivator for McIlroy in recent months. “I think when you’re a competitive guy like Rory is, I think you’re always looking for some source of motivation,” he said of the world No. 2.
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“He’s got significantly more tournament wins than I do; he has more major wins. I guess up until last week, I had technically more Players wins. I think when you’re a great player like that, you’re always looking for sources of motivation, especially as you get a bit older.
“You know, he’s been out here for a long time and I think sometimes it can get a bit redundant playing the same events over and over, and any source of motivation I think you can have when you’re such a great player I think is a good thing. Is it weird for me? No, I don’t really think about it.”
Scheffler is gearing up for this week’s event in his home state, looking to go one better on last year’s performance where he tied for second, a shot behind Stephen Jäger. Scheffler will then take a week off in his schedule before returning to defend his Masters title at Augusta National next month.
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