'toppling Scheffler Becomes The Next Objective For Mcilroy'

If Rory McIlroy is still seeking his "next Everest", he request look nary further than caller Open champion Scottie Scheffler.

Even successful a play erstwhile nan Northern Irishman completed nan profession Grand Slam by winning nan Masters, aft claiming a 2nd Players title and landing nan Pebble Beach signature title, he trails nan subordinate now clutching nan Claret Jug by a important margin.

McIlroy is nan world's 2nd champion subordinate and, successful that regard, nan rankings do not lie. Following Scheffler's ascendant triumph astatine Royal Portrush, his points mean successful nan standings has risen to 20.52.

McIlroy, who shared seventh spot astatine nan Open, is 8.96 points behind. That is nan quality betwixt 2nd successful nan standings and Max Greyserman, who is presently 36th.

Toppling Scheffler from his perch is simply a mountainous situation and it has go nan adjacent nonsubjective for McIlroy.

The 36-year-old from Holywood, County Down, struggled for information successful nan contiguous aftermath of his epic Augusta adventure. Winning nan Masters and completing nan profession expansive slam had go his beryllium each and extremity all.

With nan Green Jacket connected his back, it took nan imaginable of an Open successful his autochthonal Northern Ireland to bring backmost a consciousness of focus.

And, arsenic he said, his Portrush acquisition gave him beautiful overmuch each he wanted, barroom nan Claret Jug.

"That's conscionable because 1 personification was conscionable a small spot amended than nan remainder of us," he stated.

In truth, no-one different than Scheffler was ever going to get a sniff of holding golf's astir historical trophy aft nan eventual champion carded his second-round 64.

As nan world rankings reflect, nan gangly American is caput and shoulders supra nan remainder astatine delivering erstwhile nan biggest titles are connected nan line. This was his 2nd awesome of nan year, pursuing his convincing triumph successful May's US PGA astatine Quail Hollow.

While nan post-championship chat is littered pinch understandable comparisons betwixt Scheffler's existent occurrence and nan measurement nan awesome Tiger Woods dominated nan game, McIlroy remains nan astir apt to situation nan world number one's supremacy.

Between June 2011 and August 2014 McIlroy was likewise dominant, winning nan US Open, US PGA and The Open.

Like Scheffler, it was a speedy surge to 4 majors, nan first 2 won pinch 8 shots to spare.

There past came an 11-year barren spell for McIlroy that no-one backmost past could person anticipated. But he remained successful nan very precocious echelons of nan crippled passim that play of frustrating adjacent misses.

He has now played successful 67 fields and vanished successful nan apical 10 33 times.

It is an extraordinarily agelong tally of singular consistency that nary different progressive subordinate tin match.

Officially an all-time great, arsenic 1 of only six winners of each 4 majors, McIlroy could beryllium satisfied pinch his lot.

How overmuch much is location successful nan vessel to support pushing to beryllium nan champion successful nan world?

McIlroy has been doing it for a very agelong time, but location seems small diminishing of appetite.

He is wished to lend to different distant triumph successful nan Ryder Cup successful September and would emotion an Olympic badge successful 2028.

There is besides nan situation of trying to look from Scheffler's agelong shadow.

"All you tin do is respect what he does and really he does it," McIlroy said.

"What he does is 1 thing, but really he does it is another. He conscionable goes astir his business, doesn't do thing overly flamboyant, but he's nan champion astatine executing successful nan crippled correct now.

"It's been perfectly astonishing complete these past 2 to 3 years. All you tin do is extremity your headdress and watch successful admiration."

Another Open has passed without an English winner, nary since Nick Faldo successful 1992. But Matt Fitzpatrick's return to shape was an encouraging reminder of nan 2022 US Open champion's world-class pedigree.

In a stock of fourth, Fitzpatrick hit Bob MacIntyre by a shot. The Scot tied for seventh, again demonstrating his awesome credentials pursuing a runner-up decorativeness astatine June's US Open.

Tyrrell Hatton faded connected nan last time to decorativeness alongside Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose and John Parry astatine 7 nether and wrong nan apical 20. They besides cognize nan man they person to hit if they are to bask early awesome success.

Right now McIlroy is nan subordinate astir apt to situation Scheffler.

"All I tin do is attraction connected myself and effort to play nan champion play that I can," he said.

"I cognize that, erstwhile I do that, I'll person my weeks wherever I'll contend and hopefully win."