‘It’s not fun!’ Why this major champ is not looking forward to taking on Rory McIlroy this year
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Just how far will golf’s newest member of the Grand Slam club go? One of Rory McIlroy’s rivals can’t wait to find out…
One of the big questions since Rory McIlroy’s history book-rewriting week at the Masters has been whether he will now push on and get more majors.
With the pressure of not only getting over the line at Augusta but to ending that near 11-year wait for No.5 now well and truly off, many believe the Northern Irishman will push on and add to his Grand Slam success.
Next month’s PGA Championship will see the world’s finest head to Quail Hollow – a golf course at which he has won four times – while The Open is back at Royal Portrush, where he holds the course record. Those sandwich a trip to Oakmont for the US Open, a tournament in which McIlroy has six straight top-10 finishes.
That prospect, according to one of his peers, is “pretty scary”.
Xander Schauffele is still riding the wave of finally getting into the major winners’ circle when he lifted the Wanamaker Trophy and Claret Jug last year, but like us could only sit back and admire McIlroy’s tenacity to overcome four double-bogeys at the Masters and slip into the Green Jacket at the 17th attempt.
“He is a generational talent and to do what he did is incredible for the game of golf,” the 31-year-old explained during a roundtable with the press ahead of his Open title defence.
“If that was something that was holding him back, and now he feels free, that could be a pretty scary thing. He has all the tools.
“I’ve played against him when he’s firing on all cylinders and it’s not fun for me. It’s fun for everyone else to watch – but it’s hard to beat.
“Would I be surprised if he started rattling off [more major wins]? No. Am I going to be there to try and stop him? Absolutely.”
But despite an injury-hit start to the current season, Schauffele is hoping to use McIlroy Mania at Portrush to “cruise along and fly under the radar”.
“That’s exactly what I’ll do,” he smiled.
He’s also hoping for similar weather conditions to Royal Troon last year, where a blistering back-nine performance on Sunday saw him edge away from closest rival Justin Rose.
“I’m from San Diego where it blows a blistering three miles an hour,” he joked.
“When I think of Open Championship golf, I don’t think of it being sunny. I think of people wearing beanies hunkering down, trying everything they can with their caddie to overcome that war that you’re at with the golf course.
“It’s such a validating and rewarding feeling to do it. I’ve got no problem if it’s bad weather.”
And, because we know you’re thinking it too, Schauffele has mostly consumed “wine and tequila” from the Claret Jug.
Just like Old Tom intended.
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Can Rory McIlroy go on and win more majors after finally getting over the line at the Masters?
