One of the most disappointing aspects of the recent PGA Championship was the fact that golf fans never got the heavyweight Sunday showdown between the likes of Rory McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau and Scottie Scheffler at Quail Hollow.
It is hard to remember any major in recent years which has had quite the same build-up as the 2025 PGA Championship. Rory McIlroy went into the event off the back of winning The Masters and ending an 11-year wait for a fifth major.
McIlroy has also won at Quail Hollow on four occasions during his career.
Meanwhile, both Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau went into the second major of the year having won on their most recent starts. Elsewhere, Justin Thomas won at the RBC Heritage and Xander Schauffele was the defending champion.
Jack Nicklaus comments on Bryson DeChambeau and the way he plays the game
Ultimately, it turned into a fairly underwhelming week. Scheffler won at a canter, with Jon Rahm only briefly threatening to beat him to the title on Sunday.
Nevertheless, the anticipation ahead of the event highlights the amount of quality at the very top of the game right now.
And when asked on the Sky Sports Golf Podcast about the potential rivalry between McIlroy and Scheffler, Jack Nicklaus was full of praise for a number of players, including DeChambeau.
“I think Rory’s got himself back into it. Scottie’s had it pretty much to himself for the last three or four years. He’s an awfully good player. He has a little unorthodox way with his footwork, but his path with the club is spectacular. And he knows exactly what he has to do and what he needs to do. He does a great job, controls the ball beautifully,” he said.
“I see some of the guys play today that amaze me. As hard as DeChambeau hits the ball, he amazes me that he can control it. Justin Thomas has been away from winning for a while, now he’s got back and playing better. Schauffele won two majors last year. He’s not got off to a great start this year, but we have so many good players in the game today. I think the game is very blessed.”
Nicklaus suggests whether he sees more of himself in Rory McIlroy or Scottie Scheffler
With Scheffler and McIlroy winning the first two majors of the season, many fans will be hoping that the pair will be able to battle it out on plenty of occasions in the years to come.
Scheffler inspired McIlroy to adapt his game after his historic 2024 season. Meanwhile, McIlroy is arguably the most talented player the game has seen since Tiger Woods was at his peak.
Both look set to go down in the pantheon of all-time greats. And Nicklaus went on to give his answer when asked which one of the two he sees himself in more.
“Scottie. First of all, the ball gets away from Rory right to left, always has his career and he hasn’t corrected it. But he still had a great career with it. Could have had a better career if he’d gone a little bit the other way? I don’t know, maybe yes, maybe no,” he added.
“But Scottie has learned at a fairly young age that keeping the ball in play, he’s certainly long enough, as long as the rest of the guys, but he doesn’t try to be. He makes sure he puts it in play and he’s got a second shot to play, and I think that wins golf tournaments more often than hitting it over the top of trees and so forth.”
It is going to be fascinating which player ends their career with more majors. McIlroy has the advantage right now, but Scheffler simply does not appear to be fazed by anything.
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