Rory McIlroy really struggled during his opening round of the BMW Championship on Thursday at Caves Valley, while Scottie Scheffler flourished.
Caves Valley proved to be quite the test on day one of the BMW Championship, and world number two McIlroy made a really slow start straight out of the blocks.
However, the man ahead of him in the world rankings – Scheffler – carded six birdies and two bogeys in a round of 66, compared to McIlroy’s 70.
McIlroy pulled out of the FedEx St. Jude Championship last week and he just seemed to be very rusty at Caves Valley on Thursday.
Meanwhile, Scheffler and his stand-in caddie Mike Cromie worked well together, and the 29-year-old’s game looked to be in great shape.
The Northern Irishman must have been watching the American with a tinge of envy, but does he actually enjoy playing with the best player in the world?
Rory McIlroy says if he enjoys playing with Scottie Scheffler after BMW Championship first round
The par-70 Tom Fazio design was stretched out to around 7,600 yards, and it was a completely different golf course to the one that Patrick Cantlay won on back in 2021.
With the sheer length of the golf course, and the undulating, severely sloped greens, the best 50 players on the PGA Tour this year struggled, with even-par inside the top-20 at the time of writing.
That makes Scheffler’s opening round of 66 even more impressive.
McIlroy spoke to reporters after his round and responded when asked if he enjoys playing alongside Scheffler.
He said: “I love playing with Scottie. I always have. I like the cadence that he plays the game at. I like his rhythm. He doesn’t really take a ton of time.
“I feel like there’s guys that you like to get paired with, and there’s guys — some guys that you don’t. I’ve always enjoyed playing with Scottie.“
McIlroy will be hoping that Scheffler’s golf rubs off on him on Friday as he looks to catapult himself back into contention in Baltimore.
What Scottie Scheffler said about playing with Rory McIlroy
Scheffler spoke to the press after his round on Thursday as well.
He was asked the same question that McIlroy was.
And the world number one said: “Yeah, I mean, it’s really fun. I think it’s a real treat to be able to come out here and compete against the best players in the world week in and week out and there’s nothing better than playing with Rory. He’s obviously a very talented player, and we always have fun together on the course.“
The two best players in the world clearly have huge respect for one another.
The challenge for McIlroy now will be to try and raise his levels to match the golf that Scheffler is producing right now, and has been for quite some time.
Their rounds on day one of the BMW Championship were symbolic of their respective past three months on the PGA Tour.
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