While Scottie Scheffler may be the best player in the world right now, Trevor Immelman believes that there is a quality that still sets Rory McIlroy apart.
Scottie Scheffler has been the dominant force in the game over the last four years. He has won four major titles and will complete the Career Grand Slam should he win the US Open.
How many times do you think Scottie Scheffler will win in 2026?
Over or under 4.5…
Some expect Scheffler to overtake McIlroy at some stage. Of course, Rory McIlroy won The Masters for his fifth major title in 2025. But that emotional win ended a run of nearly 11 years without a major for the Northern Irishman.
Nevertheless, there is one area that sets McIlroy apart from Scheffler, according to Trevor Immelman.
The big difference between Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler
Speaking to Fried Egg Golf, Immelman noted that as relentlessly brilliant as Scheffler has been over the last few years, it is McIlroy who provides the much more compelling entertainment.
“Where he is different to Scottie, and a bit more like Tiger, is wherever Rory goes there’s juice. The fans are excited, everybody wants to see him, people are screaming for him. They want to be in his presence, they want to watch him play,” he said.
“He invokes raw emotion from people. And that’s why whenever we get him on our air, because you know in all likelihood, something crazy is going to happen. He’s either going to stiff a four iron from 250 yards and hit the shot that’s the best shot you’ve seen all week, or he’s going to duff a wedge into Rae’s Creek from 80 yards, and you’re like, ‘what on earth was that?’ He makes you feel something, Rory McIlroy does.
“So I look forward to seeing him play and seeing how he backs up that amazing 2025.”
The 2025 season summed Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy up perfectly
When Scheffler got a sniff of the lead in 2025, he rarely let the opportunity pass him by.
After an uncharacteristically terrible back nine on Sunday at the WM Phoenix Open, and a runner-up finish at the Texas Children’s Houston Open, Scheffler had an incredible ability to close the door when he took the lead.
The 29-year-old won six times, including at two majors. It is almost 11 months since Scheffler finished outside the top eight at a PGA Tour event.
Do you think Rory McIlroy will win two or more majors before he retires?
McIlroy simply does not boast the same consistency at this stage of his career. That was what made his Sunday at Augusta National the most incredible round of the season.
He won and lost that event several times on the last day alone before finally getting across the line. And of course, he spent the next few months searching for a purpose on the course.
Scheffler is arguably much more like Woods in how inevitable his victories feel.
But when it comes to moments that simply take your breath away – for all kinds of reasons – McIlroy is probably still in a league of his own.
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