Augusta, Ga. — For a while, the video will look like a “Saturday Night Live” skit.
Tiger Woods plays the role of host. Behind him, Scotty Scheffler and Rory McIlroy wear the same sage green Nike T-shirt and the same white Nike hat.
McIlroy’s first swing is the perfect high-fade with four irons that land like a feather and roll 10 feet from the pin. Schaeffler and Woods both marvel at the shot.
“I’m just trying to do the exact same thing,” Schaeffler stops before he hits him about 20 feet out of the hole. “I had to hit mine a little more flatter than yours because you bumped into the distance than me.”
McIlroy once again tries to avoid the role of Sissifs once again as the golf world descends into the first major of the year, when 28-year-old Scheffler becomes Augusta’s beloved champion. In past calendar years, they have won a total of 10 events. Since 2022, both have won eight top-10 finishes in major championships.
Schaeffler has two big wins in that range, but McIlroy has not made another claim. The fact that 35-year-old McIlroy is here is another testament to his 17th master, near the top of the world’s rankings. It also reminds me of the anvil he still has. It is a massive drought that is now heading into its 11th year. An unfinished career grand slam.
Ten years ago, the arrival of McIlroy’s Masters in 2015 had the cadence that made him known for Augusta. That Sunday, McIlroy played with Woods, wearing a brighter green tint similar to a highlighter when he shot a 66, finishing a 12-under, six shot from winner 21-year-old Jordan Spieth. He played the final 45 holes at 15 under.
CBS’ Jim Nantz was able to hear on the air as McIlroy sighed in disappointment in honor of his clients.
“He’s going to have to wait another year,” Nantz said. Then, after a TV interview with McIlroy prior to Spieth’s final putt. “(McIlroy and Spieth) will be one and two in the world by the end of the day, setting up a future, a sport rivalry.”
Fast forward to 2025 and no one is playing golf as good as McIlroy. Spieth is no longer his top competition, but Scheffler slips into the place and has become so dominant with his own rights over the past three years, forcing the entire field to acknowledge and praise his play. And McIlroy is even forced to improve to catch up.
“Scotty saw what he did… that encouraged us all to try and try to get better,” McIlroy said after winning the players championship, his second victory of the season. “I know I have to get better to compete with him.”
“He has a lot more tournament wins than I do. He has a bigger win,” Schaeffler told the Houston Open two weeks ago. “When you’re a competitive person like Rory, I think you’re always looking for a source of motivation… especially when you’re getting older.”
When asked about his motives, Schaeffler said he was mostly internal and he didn’t pay attention to what other players were doing, but he was keen to exist and focused on how his own competitive spirit drives him.
“Is that strange to me?” Schaeffler said McIlroy had found his motivation. “No, I’m not really thinking about it.”
Golf is unique in that you are facing the course more than your particular opponent, as pointed out by Bryson Deccanbeau on Tuesday. Other players will argue that you are facing yourself more than anyone else. In contrast, the framework of team sports often involves this insatiable need to get one player to compete against the other player. Dueling and rivalry are the lifeblood of persuasive theatres, historic moments, and often the finest performances.
This sport, especially at this venue – I oppose it. Stretch players’ battles are a feature that is uncontrollable in tournaments, not a design reality with seed or scheduling. Even the way players are repaired prior to the final round follows the golf rules of “First In, Last Out” rather than the idea of prioritizing whether two players are more persuasive to watch the play together.
Therefore, it is rare that the connection between two players in this sport feels this is naturally intertwined at the exact moment. However, this week it’s hard to deny. For the past three months, both Schaeffler and McIlroy have questioned each other, answering them with a combination of polite admiration and envy of tongues. There is no competition between them, only the juxtaposition produced by their own success.
“I don’t think golfers have seen as many bogey-free rounds as Scotty,” McIlroy said at Pebble Beach. “He doesn’t make mistakes. That’s very impressive. He plays the right shots over and over again at the right time. Obviously he needs the technical ability to do that, but he doesn’t make mistakes. And if he doesn’t make mistakes on the golf course, the game becomes pretty easy.”
“I’m just trying to hit a 350 in the middle (like Rory),” Schaeffler said Tuesday when he asked him to emulate McIlroy’s game.
“I feel like he’s doing a really good job of playing freely and playing loosely from time to time,” Schaeffler said in his actual answer. “It’s really easy to notice that. It’s much harder to get out there and say, ‘Hey, I’m going to play freely’.
Two of the past three years have made it easier to acquire the green jacket. Meanwhile, during his 17 appearances, McIlroy paints different frames in the same colour of disappointment, indicating how difficult it is to secure the sport’s most prestigious title.
“I understand the story and the noise, and there’s a lot of hope and accumulation coming to this tournament every year,” McIlroy said. “This tournament should be treated the same as every other tournament you play throughout the year.”
2:18
McIlroy “blocks noise” of previous master’s disappointment
Rory McIlory says he “holds his head” and ignores the “story” about his previous shortcomings in Master.
Schaeffler alks with questions about the pressure to defend the champion and rely on answers on how he will benefit when the tournament begins, but McIlroy can’t stop the noise and only tries to eliminate it. They are in every corner. Not only when he enters the press room or arrives at Magnolia Lane, but sometimes Tiger Woods says it’s only a matter of time before McIlroy wins. It’s been 11 years since he won the majors, but in those 11 years no one has played golf better than him, more consistently.
“It’s very impressive not just in his week, but in his longevity years each year,” Schaeffler told the players. “It’s very difficult in this game. You can fight a lot…injuries, aging. Rory has been healthy for a long time. He’s been playing great golf for a long time.
Whether he wins the fifth major this week or five years later, there will be a moment when Schaeffler is playing professional golf and McIlroy is no longer in the photo. But for now, what makes their connection unique is that McIlroy needs to continue to rise while Schaeffler is set to give Schaeffler what he didn’t have last season.
The Masters are not a play-play competition, no, McIlroy and Scheffler are not facing each other this week. But if recent performances are any indication, you shouldn’t be surprised on Sunday if one person wins and the other is part of the other story.