11 March 2024 , 13:19
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Scottie Scheffler was in a class of his own as he cruised to victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Sunday, and Rory McIlroy admits the world number one is going to be hard to beat heading into major season.
Scheffler was tied for the lead at nine-under-par with Shane Lowry after 54 holes at Bay Hill in Orlando, Florida, and the 2022 Masters champion surged clear of the field with a final round of 66, winning by five strokes from reigning US Open champion Wyndham Clark.
Scheffler has been the best player on the planet since his breakthrough season in 2022 when he won four times on the PGA Tour. But the one weakness in his game has been on the greens, ranking 162 on the PGA Tour last season for strokes gained from putting.
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But the 27-year-old appears to have found a solution to his woes with the flat stick, seeing the rewards of countless hours of hard work with renowned putting coach Phil Kenyon. Scheffler also had a new putter in the bag for Arnold Palmer, moving from a bladed head to a mallet, and it delivered immediate results, leading the field in strokes gained on Sunday.
McIlroy, meanwhile, carded a dismal four-over-par on Sunday, undoing the good work of a sensational closing nine holes on Saturday that pushed him into contention. The Northern Irishman's approach play was once again errant, a growing theme so far this season.
After his round, McIlroy paid tribute to Scheffler's peerless performance, admitting the rest of the field is in trouble now Scheffler has found a groove on the greens.
McIlroy has struggled with his iron play this season (Brennan Asplen/Getty Images)“This is a super tough golf course and to be six under today going out with the lead and just sort of lapping the field is super impressive,” McIlroy said. “But we all knew that he had this in him. His ball-striking is, honestly, on another level compared to everyone else right now. We knew if he started to hole putts, then this sort of stuff would happen.”
McIlroy was the man who suggested Scheffler move to a mallet putter, although he may now regret his words of advice with the American looking in fine fettle with a month to go until The Masters at Augusta National.
Mcilroy told CBS at The Genesis Invitational last month: “I’ve certainly been through my fair share of putting woes over the years, and I finally feel like I’ve broken through and become a pretty consistent putter. For me, going to a mallet was a big change, so I’d love to see Scottie try a mallet."
Scheffler's triumph at Bay Hill was his first win of the season, but he had performed consistently with four top-10s leading into the event. Thanks to his win on Sunday, he is a long way clear atop the FedEx Cup standings, with McIlroy trailing a long way back in 66th ahead of The Players, which begins at TPC Sawgrass on Thursday.