What joke did Rory McIlroy make about Scottie Scheffler ahead of 2024 U.S. Open?
As he prepares for the 2024 U.S. Open the Northern Irishman was in fine form when asked about the threat of his rival and No. 1 golfer in the world.
It’s no secret that Scottie Scheffler is having a sensational season, which is what makes his recent arrest and the controversy that surrounded it all the more baffling. That said, the American returned to the course in style and that’s something that Rory McIlroy thinks is just too much to take.
Rory McIlroy jokes at Scottie Scheffler’s expense
If you’ve seen the field for the 2024 U.S. Open, then you know that Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, and Xander Schauffele are grouped together for the first round which begins on Thursday. With a tee time set for 1:14 p.m. ET, it goes without saying that all eyes will be on the star-studded trio especially when considering the fact that it includes the winner of the last two tournaments with Scheffler taking the prize at the Memorial and Schauffele snatching the purse at the PGA Championship just a week before.
As for McIlroy, though his last win on tour came back in early May at the Wells Fargo Championship which is to say he might not be in the same kind of form as the aforementioned pair, there is no doubt that he is still among the the best players on tour. To that end, it was interesting to hear his take, albeit a cheeky one, on world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, the man he’s about to face. “The fact that the only thing that took him from winning a golf tournament was going into a jail cell for an hour,” McIlroy said in reference to Scheffler’s arrest and the manner in which he returned to play, sinking a birdie right off the bat.
Of course, McIlroy isn’t completely correct in that as much as Scheffler did turn heads by making it back before his tee and then proceeding to shoot 66 in the second round, it was the same in the third as he shot a 73 and ultimately finished tied for eighth some eight shots behind Schauffele who clinched his first Major with the win. That said, we do understand McIlroy’s concern as he looks ahead to the coming U.S. Open. Indeed, the last time he was able to win a major was 2014 such that one could argue one is overdue, but he will have to contest with two of golf’s hottest players right now, all jokes aside.