Whilst Scottie Scheffler dominated the CJ Cup Byron Nelson over four rounds, Erik van Rooyen certainly matched him, and more, on Saturday and Sunday.
In fact, Van Rooyen actually beat Scheffler by one shot over the final two rounds of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson.
Scheffler now has the seventh best win percentage of all-time on the PGA Tour, after his triumph at TPC Craig Ranch.
All departments of his game were in tip-top condition during the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, and he never even gave his opponents a hope of winning.
Jordan Spieth spoke about Scheffler’s recent dominance on Sunday in Texas, and every other PGA Tour pro must have been hugely impressed by what the 28-year-old did in McKinney, Texas.
He was relentless from start to finish.
And despite Van Rooyen’s fine play over the weekend, he still couldn’t get within eight shots of Scheffler.
Scottie Scheffler on what happened between him and Erik van Rooyen at CJ Cup Byron Nelson
Scheffler and Van Rooyen are good friends off the course.
So it must have been a really enjoyable final round at TPC Craig Ranch for both players.
Midway through their round on Sunday, there was a humorous interaction between both players on the ninth hole, after they both eagled the par five.
And Scheffler lifted the lid on what actually happened after he and the South African had finished playing the hole.
The 28-year-old Texan said, “I do remember walking off the green like towards my bag, and he was kind of just like standing there, and I could like feel him looking at me. I kind of just looked up and smiled at him, and he just smiled back.
“I knew he was going to come out and have a good day. He’s a really good player. He’s an extremely hard worker. Like even when we sat down in scoring, I think he liked — he saw the way I hit the bunker shot on 18, and I think he liked something about it because he asked me, hey, what club do you use? He’s always trying to get better, and he works really hard.
“He’s a good buddy of mine. I played a lot with him when I first came out on TOUR, and he’s a super nice guy.
“He had a really good front nine. It was going to take something special for him today in order to catch me. I think he did his best to put up a special round. I just played really well as well.
“His game is in a good spot, and this definitely won’t be the last time you see him up on the leaderboard.“
What Scheffler did shocked Van Rooyen
The two-time Masters champions was in imperious form throughout all four days at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson.
And Van Rooyen shared how he was ‘flabbergasted’ by how good Scheffler was.
He said, “I don’t play with the World Number 1 too often, and you’re almost flabbergasted in a way because I’d fire in — like that 5-iron on 9 comes to mind. I hit it to whatever it was, five feet, and he just makes the eagle. There’s nothing you can do. Absolute hat’s off to Scottie. He’s played fantastic golf.“
Scheffler is just relentless isn’t he, and Van Rooyen got to witness that first hand on Sunday at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson.
2025 could still be a memorable year for Scheffler, and he will be licking his chops now heading into major season.
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