Rory McIlroy Made Honest Admission About Scottie Scheffler After British Open Win

Andy Nesbitt | Jul 20, 2025

Rory McIlroy finished tied for seventh at the British Open. / Mike Frey-Imagn Images

Rory McIlroy entered the 2025 British Open at Royal Portrush hoping to win a major championship in front of the hordes of his adoring fans in his home country. Come Sunday afternoon, he was just like all the other players in the field not named Scottie Scheffler—looking up in awe at the No. 1 player in the world who won his second major of the year with relative ease.

Scheffler earned his first Claret Jug by running away from the field over the weekend before winning by four shots.

McIlroy finished tied for seventh, seven shots behind Scheffler. After his round he paid Scheffler the highest of praise, saying:

"None of us could hang with Scottie this week. He’s an incredible player. He’s been dominant this week but honestly he’s been dominant for the last couple of years. He is the bar that we’re all trying to get to."

"He is the bar we're all trying to get to."

Rory McIlroy with some high praise for Scottie Scheffler. 🙌 pic.twitter.com/s1iCgl4n1R

— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) July 20, 2025

McIlroy is correct—Scheffler has been dominant the past couple of years and it looks like his run should only continue. He's now won the Masters twice, the PGA Championship once back in May, and he now has British Open champ written on his resume. Oh, and he has four wins this year and 11 straight top-10 finishes.

It's a good time to be Scottie Scheffler. And it's a tough time to be any other professional golfer. Just ask Rory McIlroy.

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