Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy are by far the two best golfers in the world right now.
Xander Schauffele had an underwhelming 2025 season after winning two major championships in 2024.
Meanwhile, assessing the ranking of Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm is difficult because they compete in the LIV Golf league.
Still, Scheffler and McIlroy have won 10 tournaments between them this year on the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour.
Ryan Fox has now explained whether the world number one or two is better when both players have their A-game.
Ryan Fox picks between Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy at their best
Scheffler and McIlroy may be friends off the course, but they are the biggest rivals on the PGA Tour.
Scheffler has dominated the Tour in the past few seasons, but 2025 has arguably been the best year of McIlroy’s professional golf career.
Fox has now suggested who would win a match between them if they were both playing at their best.
“In percentage, it’s probably not that much, but that percentage means a lot over four days of golf,” Fox said on Mike Hosking Breakfast.
“I think we’re looking at someone in Scottie Scheffler now, who is just crazy good. He’s the best since Tiger, which is saying something. Rory has been in the top 10 in the rankings for nearly 20 years now. They’re the best.
“Scottie is the consistent one. Scottie is the one who does it. He just hits every shot you need to hit. He drives it well. His iron play is the best in the world by a long way. His short game is really solid. He’s turned himself into a great putter, and that’s why he’s in contention every week. He doesn’t have a weakness.
“Rory is the guy you watch, and he does the stuff that you can’t quite believe. Rory hits a few shots that you just scratch your head at and go, ‘I don’t have that.’
“For me, if Rory plays his best, he’s probably the best player in the world. But Scottie plays his best week in, week out. Rory does it more like a few weeks a year.
“Scottie is the one where you go, ‘I feel like I could kind of get to that level because it’s just consistent.’ Rory just hits a few shots that are just unbelievable, and he’s still the big draw card.
“If you watched The Masters, some of those shots he hit coming down the stretch were unbelievable, both in a good sense and a bad sense. That’s why he’s so good to watch. You feel like you can’t compete with him when he’s in full flow.”
Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy’s match at the Ryder Cup
Some golf fans may have preferred to see Rory McIlroy face Bryson DeChambeau at the Ryder Cup, but his match with Scottie Scheffler was still highly anticipated.
They played the fourth singles match on Sunday at Bethpage Black, with Team Europe only needing a few points to win the cup.
A comeback for the USA looked impossible until Cameron Young and Justin Thomas beat Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood, respectively, giving them just enough hope.
The match between Scheffler and McIlroy then became really important, though both players looked fatigued after a long week.
Neither had a lead of more than 1up at any stage, and Scheffler eventually ground out a hard-fought point for the United States on the 18th hole.
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