Rory McIlroy heads into The PGA Championship as one of the favourites to win the tournament.
McIlroy has been in red-hot form this season, and the only other player who can hold a candle to him is Scottie Scheffler.
The PGA Championship is one of the most eagerly anticipated major championships in recent history.
McIlroy won the first major of 2025, when he emerged victorious after a scintillating final day’s play at The Masters.
It has actually been suggested that McIlroy will struggle to win many more majors after the age of 35.
McIlroy recently spoke about how his life has changed since winning The Masters, and he will undoubtedly feel like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders.
But can he make it two wins out of two in the majors this season at Quail Hollow?
Rich Beem suggests what Rory McIlroy will do before the PGA Championship starts
McIlroy’s game is clearly in tip-top condition right now, as it has been all season long.
Rich Beem is well known for being a huge fan of the Northern Irishman.
And ‘Beemer’ has been speaking on the Sky Sports Golf podcast about McIlroy’s chances of winning this week.
Beem said, “When you get to a golf course like this, Jamie, when you’re Rory, you know, everything becomes easier. And what I’m saying by that is that his prep time and what he has to do to get ready for it is so much less than everybody else. He’s probably going to play nine holes tomorrow and nine holes on Wednesday. That’s it.
“He doesn’t need to go out there and play 18 holes in one day and nine holes the next day. He probably will play only 18 holes in total, and he’s going to have more free time to sit there and chip and putt and hone some of those skills, you know, in the beautiful practice area that they have here. You’re going to sit there just going out there and just kind of having fun, being a little kid, hitting all these different shots.
“Meanwhile, you know, 155 other guys are going to be sitting there trying to grind and figure out the best way to tackle this golf course.
“And Harry’s going to be sitting on the bag, you know, probably, you know, with one of those little sun things in his face, you know, trying to grab a tan, because he doesn’t need to do much more either.
“I mean, Rory knows this golf course. Harry’s just going to carry the bag and say, ‘let’s go’. It’s a great position to be in.
“I mean, there’s a few guys that might do a little bit less, but I doubt it. I would be shocked if anybody plays fewer practice holes than Rory. And the only reason Rory play 18 holes in a practice round is because he wants to take somebody’s money.”
Who’s better, McIlroy or Scheffler?
How good would it be if both players were on their best form this week in North Carolina!
They are undoubtedly the best two golfers on the planet, but does one of them have the edge over the other?
Mark Brooks – the 1996 PGA Champion – responded when asked who would win out of McIlroy and Scheffler, if both had their ‘A’ games:
“Scottie’s my pick. I mean, at this moment in time, I mean, it’s a great rivalry that’s brewing, between him and Rory.
“Scottie and Rory, they’re wildly different people. Wildly different, which I think makes it even more compelling.
“But Scottie’s the favourite right now. Scottie’s A game beats Rory’s A game right now.”
Hopefully we will be given a definitive answer to that question at The PGA Championship this week.
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