Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy had differing rounds on the opening day of the PGA Championship and world number one Scheffler had plenty to say in his post-round media obligations.
Scheffler and McIlroy went out as a three alongside world number three Xander Schauffele in what was expected to be a blockbuster trio.
However, all three were far from their best and the top three in the world all managed to double bogey hole 16 to set the tone for a difficult day.
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In the end, Scheffler came home at two under, with Schauffele at one over and McIlroy at three over, a whopping eight back of the leader.
And speaking about playing alongside McIlroy and Schauffele, world number one Scheffler suggested to the press afterwards that the idea of the world’s top three playing together was questionable.
Scottie Scheffler gives thoughts on PGA Championship pairing with Rory McIlroy
Scheffler was speaking to the media afterwards and in the main, he was not in the mood to be funny or entertain.
Indeed, when asked about playing with McIlroy and Schauffele, Scheffler hinted that it’s not something he’s used to seeing as a young golfer growing up.
“I’m not sure if traditionally they have always done that with the pairings. I felt like when I was growing up, like when Tiger and Phil were one and two in the world and Vijay was up there as well, I felt like I didn’t see it as much. Maybe I just didn’t watch enough golf. That may be more of a newer thing,” Scheffler admitted.
“It’s really fun for me. I said on Tuesday during my presser, I feel like I can learn a lot from watching guys play. Obviously during a major championship round, that’s not really the time to watch. I’m pretty focused on myself out there. But there’s always little things that you can pick up on from players. It’s fun.
“Xander is a really good buddy of mine and Rory is a friend as well, and it’s always fun to be out there with those guys. I love being able to play against the best, and there’s nothing better than being paired with them, as well. It’s fun.”
What Scottie Scheffler said about the crowd at Quail Hollow
Scottie Scheffler has actually done well to get into the mix at Quail Hollow in difficult conditions and he will be buoyed by his late surge.
Indeed, Scheffler also seemed pleased by the energy the crowd brought to such a group.
“It’s always a ton of fun to get paired with those two guys. You know, I think what excites us the most as players is getting to play against the best competition, and having the top three guys in the world all playing together is a tremendous amount of fun,” Scheffler said.
| Tournament | Final position |
| AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am | Winner |
| The Genesis Invitational | T17 |
| Arnold Palmer Invitational | T15 |
| The Players Championship | Winner |
| Texas Children’s Houston Open | T5 |
| The Masters | Winner |
“You have a guy that just won the Career Grand Slam, another guy that won two majors last year, and then I won a major last year, as well. It was a fun group. The crowd had great energy. Hopefully tomorrow it will play a little bit better. This morning was a bit of a struggle. Like you said, all three of us had a double bogey.”
With McIlroy struggling, Scheffler will know full well that another round under par puts him in a great position here.
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