Scottie Scheffler woke up Sunday with a realistic chance to come from behind and win another Masters. Once that was out of the picture, he had no issue taking a supporting role in Rory McIlroy’s big day.
As last year’s champion at Augusta National, Scheffler did the honors of helping McIlroy into the long-awaited green jacket in Butler Cabin.
“In that moment, like it was such an emotional day for him, I kind of just tried to stay out of the way and basically get the jacket on without embarrassing him or myself,” Scheffler told reporters Tuesday ahead of this week’s RBC Heritage in Hilton Head Island, S.C.
Scheffler described McIlroy as “a good friend,” and the duo has combined to rule the PGA Tour in recent years. Scheffler remains the No. 1 player in the Official World Golf Ranking, a perch that once belonged to McIlroy, who won four majors between 2011 and 2014 before a nearly 11-year drought.
So the two have perspectives in common that few others could relate to.
“It was really cool for me to be able to see because I have — I don’t have the understanding of what it’s like to be asked about the career grand slam, but I have a small understanding of what it’s like to be asked, ‘Hey, you accomplished this, but you haven’t accomplished that,'” Scheffler said. “It can be very taxing on people sometimes.
“It was cool to be able to see Rory get the job done. Definitely from the outside it looked a lot more like relief than anything. Rory has accomplished everything in the game of golf, and that was really the last thing for him to accomplish. The guy has won FedEx Cup, The Players, all four majors. Maybe the only other thing would be the Olympics is what he would want to win.”
Scheffler’s final-round 69 brought him from 5 under to 8 under for the week to finish in fourth place. He recounted how he and caddie Ted Scott felt they were in the mix until the 18th hole, with McIlroy struggling behind them and Englishman Justin Rose just two shots ahead.
“I’m sitting there on 18 fairway last week, and Rosie was at 10 under. I’m thinking to myself, ‘I’m going at this pin. I’m going to try to hole this,'” Scheffler said. “And then he makes (birdie at 18), and you’re like, ‘Well, tournament’s over. I lost.’ Didn’t win, lost, whatever.”
“I was looking at Teddy, and I’m like, ‘All right, Teddy, I guess I’m going to aim at the middle of the green now.’ He’s like, ‘Yeah, aim at the middle of the green. Let’s get out of here.'”
Scheffler, 28, gave his usual answer when asked whether McIlroy’s win was inspiring to him.
“Was it pretty awesome watching Rory win the grand slam? Of course it was,” he said. “But as far as my life goes, I try to stay in the present. So right now I’m focused on this week, and when I get home next week, I’m going to be preparing for my next tournament.
“At the end of the day, my motivation is all internal. Was it really cool getting to see him accomplish that? Yes, of course. Winning the career grand slam, I think that’s something that any golfer would dream of, but at the end of the day, I’m just trying to get the most out of myself.”
Scheffler’s present list of accomplishments includes a dominant 2024 season with wins at the Masters, The Players Championship, the Tour Championship and four other signature events, including the RBC Heritage.
Weary from his Masters win, and with his first child due any day, Scheffler came to South Carolina and shot 19 under par — buoyed by a second-round 63 — to win the tournament by three strokes over Sahith Theegala.
Now, though, Scheffler is winless in 2025 more than three months into the season.
“Last year, I came here pretty tired from the last week, and I did a good job of managing myself and how I got around the golf course,” Scheffler said. “Definitely will reflect on how I played and struck the ball last year here in terms of getting ready for this week’s event.”
–Field Level Media
