Rory McIlroy says what was so pleasing about beating Xander Schauffele at the Wells Fargo Championship in 2024

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Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele are two of the very best golfers on the planet right now and after going head to head in 2024, can expect to see more of each other in 2025.

Behind Scottie Scheffler at the summit, McIlroy and Schauffele are the best of the rest, with Schauffele’s two major wins in 2024 cementing his place as one of the best around.

Of course, McIlroy didn’t manage to win major number five but he still had some success on the course, including his win at the Wells Fargo Championship.

McIlroy produced a masterclass back in the summer see off Schauffele by five shots and prove to the world he is still very much top dog when he’s on form.

And speaking on his Sky Sports documentary ‘Expectations’, McIlroy has spoken of just how pleasing it was to see off Schauffele.

Rory McIlroy explains why beating Xander Schauffele was so important

Commenting on how good Schauffele is and what he achieved in 2024, McIlroy admitted it was a good feeling personally to get one over on one of the world’s best.

“Going up against Xander on the last day and then being neck and neck with him and beating him. To win Dubai Desert Classic for a fourth time and Quail Hollow for a fourth time, it’s a pretty cool feeling, to go back to these places that you love,” McIlroy said.

“Xander is obviously one of the best players in the world and to do that against him, especially considering what he went on to achieve for the rest of the year. I thought that was a pretty cool way to do that.”

McIlroy showed plenty of fight in 2024

Some looked at Rory McIlroy’s 2024 as a failure but in the main, it was another successful year of golf from the Northern Irishman.

McIlroy himself admitted his honour at tying Seve Ballesteros in the Order of Merit wins, and he very nearly won both the US Open and an Olympic medal.

For McIlroy, it’s about sticking with his processes and converting these near-misses into wins.

He showed with his performance against Schauffele that he can still blow the field away when he’s on it and going into 2025, he’ll be hoping to show more of his best and finally get major number five in the bag.