‘Toppling Scheffler becomes the next objective for McIlroy’

Scottie Scheffler, the new Open champion, is all Rory McIlroy needs to look for if he wants to reach his “next Everest.”

The Northern Irishman now trails the player who holds the Claret Jug by a significant margin even after winning the Masters and claiming a second Players title and claiming the Pebble Beach signature title in a season when he had already won the Grand Slam.

The rankings do not lie because McIlroy is the second-best player in the world. His standings points average has increased to 20.52 following Scheffler’s impressive victory at Royal Portrush.

McIlroy, who placed seventh at the Open, is now 8.96 points back. That makes Max Greyserman, who is currently 36th, stand out from second in the standings.

It has become McIlroy’s next goal to topple Scheffler from his perch, which is a challenging task.

The 36-year-old from Holywood, County Down, struggled to find motivation right after his epic Augusta adventure. His only hope was winning the Masters and winning the career grand slam.

It took the possibility of an Open in his native Northern Ireland to regain his focus with the help of the Green Jacket.

And, as he claimed, the Claret Jug, in addition to his Portrush experience, gave him essentially everything he wanted.

After the eventual champion carded his second-round 64, no one else would ever even consider holding the most significant trophy in golf.

The tall American is far superior to the rest when it comes to delivering when the most important titles are in question, as the world rankings indicate. Following his impressive victory in the US PGA at Quail Hollow in May, this was his second major of the year.

McIlroy is still the most likely player to challenge the world number one’s dominance, despite the understandable comparisons in the post-championship debate between Scheffler’s current success and Tiger Woods’ dominance.

McIlroy won the US Open, US PGA, and The Open between June 2011 and August 2014.

It was a quick four-hole major, with eight shots left in the game, like Scheffler.

No one at the time could have anticipated McIlroy’s 11-year barren spell. However, he remained in the very top positions of the game throughout the harrowing near misses.

He has now won 67 majors and 33 of his finals were in the top 10.

No other active player can match the remarkable consistency of its extraordinarily long run.

McIlroy, who was one of only six winners of all four majors, could be happy with his accomplishments despite being formally an all-time great.

McIlroy has been doing it for a very long time, but his appetite seems to be declining.

He wants to win an Olympic medal in 2028 and is eager to contribute to another Ryder Cup victory away in September.

The struggle to escape Scheffler’s long shadow also arises.

You can only admire what he does and how he does it, McIlroy said.

“He does one thing, and how he does it is another.” He is currently the best at executing in the game because he just goes about his business and doesn’t do anything overly flamboyant.

Over the past two to three years, it has been “absolutely amazing.” You just need to tip your cap and observe with admiration.

Since 1992’s Nick Faldo, there hasn’t been another Open winner without an Englishman. However, Matt Fitzpatrick’s resumption of form was a motivating reminder of the 2022 US Open champion’s stellar pedigree.

Bob MacIntyre was beaten by Fitzpatrick by a shot in the fourth round. Following a runner-up finish at the US Open in June, the Scot placed seventh, again demonstrating his major credentials.

At seven under and in the top 20, Tyrrell Hatton passed Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose, and John Parry on the final day. They also know the enemy they must defeat if they want to achieve significant success in the future.

McIlroy is currently the most likely opponent to Scheffler.

He said, “All I can do is concentrate on myself and try to play the best golf I can.”