Rory McIlroy is one of the best golfers to step foot on a golf course but even he knows that it takes all facets of the game to come together in order to get wins under the belt.
McIlroy has won countless golf tournaments and four majors, so is no stranger to knowing what’s needed at the very top level.
However, as it stands in the OWGR, McIlroy is down in third place, sitting behind the American pair of Xander Schauffele and Scottie Scheffler.
Scheffler and Schauffele dominated in 2024, winning three of the four majors, the Olympic gold, a Presidents Cup, and 11 wins in total between them.
McIlroy, meanwhile, picked up just the two wins, while his capitulation at the US Open was the biggest story of the year for him.
However, having put himself into contention at the Genesis Invitational after winning at Pebble Beach last week, McIlroy has now been told he just has to get one element of his game right to be top dog.
Laura Davies tells Rory McIlroy how he can get back to world number one
LPGA legend Dame Laura Davies was speaking about McIlroy on Sky Sports as he made his way around Torrey Pines at the Genesis.
And according to Davies, Rory McIlroy will be determined to usurp Scheffler and Schauffele.
“Yeah make no mistake, Rory knows he’s dropped off the pace Scheffler and Schauffele have set but the win at the end of the year and the way he closed that tournament out, the shots he hit down the stretch, supposed dodgy wedges going close. He hit the one into 16 and the 17th, the lovely iron shot and that just builds confidence,” Davies commented.
“Not that Rory needs confidence, but it doesn’t hurt any player at any stage of their career.
“And I just think that, coupled with what he did at Pebble, a course he’s not done well on, all that’s done is that’s made him think I’m going to get close to this guy now because I don’t like being the number three, I want to be number one again.”
Adding further comment and honing in on McIlroy’s putting, Davies admitted that if the Northern Irishman can get that right, he’ll be a huge success this season.
“It’s the make or break of any season for sure,” Davies continued. “You can be the best player tee to green in the world but if you’re not capitalising, we saw it with Scottie Scheffler a few years ago.
“He couldn’t make the putts and that’s why he wasn’t winning prolifically. and so if Rory does start making those putts, we know if he plays his best – well in my opinion he is the best – so if he holes those puts as well it’s going to be hard for others. But there’s so many trying to do what he’s doing, so certainly the putter is a huge part for his season”
How Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele’s putting stats compared in 2024
With three of the best players in the world, the trio here were always going to need to be holing putts to be up there and they did do that in the main.
Naturally, none of McIlroy, Scheffler or Schauffele were top of the pops. That honour went to Taylor Montgomery, who gained an average of 0.866 strokes against the field in putting.
| Strokes gained average | Total strokes gained | PGA Tour position | |
| Rory McIlroy | 0.173 | 10.748 | 59th |
| Scottie Scheffler | 0.095 | 5.878 | 77th |
| Xander Schauffele | 0.510 | 35.209 | 12th |
As is obvious, Xander Schauffele is the main man of the three when it comes to putting, with his stats putting him 12th.
If McIlroy can even just jump up into the top 40, then you’d imagine his chances of more success instantly increases.
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