Rory McIlroy produced a fine third round at The Open Championship on Saturday afternoon, but he still has his work cut out if he is to get anywhere near Scottie Scheffler on Saturday.
McIlroy began the 2025 season in fine form, but Scheffler has been the dominant force in the game from May onwards.
The Northern Irishman is trailing the American once again this week at The Open Championship.
McIlroy said he was excited for the weekend at The Open on Friday night, and he came out all guns blazing on Saturday.
66 was probably the worst score he could have shot in the end, and unfortunately for him, Scheffler didn’t back up one little bit during round three.
Wayne Riley predicted that Scheffler will get to 20-under par at The Open, and he probably won’t be too far wrong with that call.
Rory McIlroy praises Scottie Scheffler as he tries to catch him at The Open
McIlroy was clearly very happy with his round of golf on Saturday.
However, he knows full well that he will have to play seriously well to catch Scheffler on Sunday.
McIlroy spoke to reporters after his round and responded when asked about his position in the tournament after three rounds.
He simply said: “Scottie Scheffler is inevitable. Even when he does not have his best stuff, he has become a complete player. He is so good around the greens. He has improved so much with his putter. It’s going to be tough to catch him tomorrow if he keeps playing the way he does but if I can get out tomorrow, get off to a similar start to what I did today, get the crowd going and hopefully he feels that a couple of groups behind me and you never know. But I need to go out and play another good round tomorrow and see what happens.“
Fair play from Rory. That really was a great endorsement of Scheffler.
Rory McIlroy vs Scottie Scheffler: Open stats compared
McIlroy and Scheffler are by far and away the best two golfers in the world right now.
But how do their numbers from this week at The Open match up against each other?
| Stats | McIlroy | Scheffler |
| Strokes gained off the tee | 55th | 63rd |
| Strokes gained approach | 11th | 2nd |
| Strokes gained around the greens | 59th | 97th |
| Strokes gained putting | 9th | 1st |
| Strokes gained total | 4th | 1st |
It has been clear to see at The Open that McIlroy is some way off the levels that Scheffler is producing right now.
And the Northern Irishman will be desperate to close the gap on the world number one before the end of the season.
Receive exclusive golf news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
