Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy have been the best two golfers in the game over the past four years by quite some margin.
If we’re being honest though, Scheffler has been on another level to McIlroy since his first win in February 2022.
Since that week in Phoenix, the 29-year-old from Dallas has racked up 20 PGA Tour wins including four major championships.
During that same time period, Rory McIlroy has won 10 times on the PGA Tour, including two majors.
So Scottie Scheffler has doubled the Northern Irishman’s tally during that spell of time.
It’s no coincidence that Scheffler and McIlroy are the two best golfers on the planet, what with their incredible work ethics and the obvious talent that they possess.
However, Scheffler has proven consistently for four years now that he is on another level to McIlroy, according to Brandel Chamblee at least.
Brandel Chamblee says why Scottie Scheffler is better than Rory McIlroy
Chamblee explained in detail why Scheffler is ‘in another league’ to McIlroy when speaking on The Favorite Chamblee Podcast.
And the golf analyst made it very clear that this is not just his opinion either.
“It’s not an opinion. There’s 20 years of data for Rory, and there’s sneaking up on 10 for Scottie,“ Chamblee said.
“Look, Rory’s gonna go down as one of the greatest players of all time. So this speaks to how unbelievably talented Scottie is.
“The best, if you cherry-pick the very best year, from, you know, choose whatever you want. Whatever metric you want.
“Strokes gained total or scoring average. But if we go scoring average, the best year Rory’s ever had, in terms of scoring average, is 2022, he averaged 68.6 and change.
“Scottie, who’s not had nearly as many years on the Tour, last year, he averaged 68.1. So that is a half a shot better, a round.
“What Rory has never done is lead the PGA Tour in strokes gained approach. He has finished second once. That was the Tiger Woods back in 2012.
“But Scottie has led strokes gained approach for the last three years.
“Rory has never led the PGA Tour in greens in regulation. Never.
“Scottie, this is his third year to lead it. He’s leading it again this year.
“Scottie has won the low scoring average three years in a row. Rory never did that.
“So, you know, whatever metric you want to use, the best Rory has ever played over the course of a year, he’s not even close to what Scottie did last year.
“Now, Scottie’s off his game this year to a little extent. He’s playing the worst golf he’s played in four years, and he’s still the best player in the world. He’s still number one in scoring average. He’s still number one in strokes gained total.
“Paul made the point that Rory at his best is better than Scottie but the numbers do not back that up. The best Rory ever was probably at his best in 2019 from an all-round statistic viewpoint.
“Scottie is demonstrably better than Rory’s cherry-picked best year in almost 20 years.
“That’s not a knock on Rory. Good gracious, 68.6. You know who averaged lower than that before Scottie came along? Just Tiger.
“It was Tiger, then Rory, and then Scottie came along.
“There are other things that I think matter too.
“I mean, I know Scottie’s had four 54-hole leads in major championships. He’s converted them all. 100%.
“Now, that’s a small data sample size, but I mean, it’s still four! It’s not one, not two. I mean, four.
“You know, to put that in perspective, Norman had eight. Greg Norman had eight 54-hole leads in his career. Eight, and he won one time.
“Now, we know Tiger had 15 and won 14. Jack had 12 and won 10.
“So you start to look at a growing body of evidence. And how well they’ve played, with the most pressure on them.
“There are other things, they’re intangibles, to go with the tangibles, and all of those things put Scottie in another league.“
Golf fans react to Brandel Chamblee’s Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy claim
“Rory at his best can beat literally anybody on the planet,“ one golf fan exclaimed.
And many fans echoed a similar sentiment, with comments stating: “No. No one has a better ceiling than Rory. 100% Rory > 100% Scheffler,“ and, “No not at all Rory blew everyone away in 2 days last major if Rory has his best game he wins by 5.“
One golf fan went into detail explaining why Chamblee’s take is incorrect, saying: “People are getting it mixed up about Scottie’s stats, those are over an entire season not just one tournament. Rory has won multiple majors by 8+ shots, multiple PGA events by 7+ shots. On his day at his absolute best no one can stop him, not even Scottie. He isn’t as consistent as Scottie, but at his absolute best which is less often he beats Scottie.“
Meanwhile, another golf fan said: “It’s the other way round for me. Rory is unbeatable at his best, Scottie plays at or close to his best more often. Consistent brilliance Vs higher ceiling.“
And another took the no holds barred approach: “No. What a colossally moronic statement.“
Other fans stated, “If Rory plays his best golf he beats Scottie. Rory isn’t as consistent as Scottie, that’s the difference,“ and, “I think if Rory plays his best golf, Scottie can’t beat him. It would be great to see them play in the final pairing on Sunday with both playing their best!“
Another fan insisted Rory’s A game is the best, bar none: “Everybody knows that there isn’t a golfer on the planet that can live with Rory’s A+ game.“
And another echoed a similar sentiment, saying: “Rory’s A game is better than Scheffler… simple fact. BUT what made Scottie unbelievable is consistency!“
One golf fan labelled Chamblee’s statement as ‘ridiculous’: “No. That statement is quite ridiculous, to be honest. If all the top players are firing on all cylinders over the four days, it will come down to ultra-fine margins. A bit of luck at vital moments could make the difference.“
While another disagreed with the golf analyst’s take as well: “Disagree with Brandel. Rory is the one player who can challenge Scottie when both bring their A games.“
