Brandel Chamblee offered his savage take on the Rory McIlroy vs Scottie Scheffler debate by claiming the latter is enjoying a level of golf that even the Northern Irishman has never equalled
10:10, 22 Jul 2025Updated 10:10, 22 Jul 2025
Rory McIlroy has had 18 years of work thrown in his face(Image: AP)
Brandel Chamblee has issued a brutal reality check to Rory McIlroy by saying he has never been as good as Scottie Scheffler is right now throughout his career.
Scheffler and McIlroy are currently ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the world, respectively. They are widely considered to be the two best golfers of their generation.
Their incredible ability has been clear to see this year, with McIlroy ending an 11-year major drought by dramatically winning his first Masters tournament in April, which also made him only the sixth man ever to win a career Grand Slam.
Scheffler, meanwhile, recovered from an underwhelming start to the year and has gone on to win two majors for the first time – the PGA Championship and now The Open – bringing him to within a US Open triumph of completing his own Grand Slam.
The Texan’s dominance has been such that he’s uniquely won each of his majors by three or more shots, having finished four strokes clear at Royal Portrush last weekend after carding 17-under par.
The consistency of his record-breaking displays has led to comparisons with the legendary Tiger Woods, with many believing he now stands alone as the greatest player of the current generation.
Former American golfer Chamblee claims Scheffler’s dominance is such that he has eclipsed McIlroy, almost a decade his senior, with his performances.
The 63-year-old argued that despite all of the Northern Irishman’s achievements since joining the PGA Tour in 2010 – which has seen him earn a staggering £80million in prize money – Scheffler is currently operating on a different level.
Chamblee said: “I hesitate to say this because I’m talking about somebody who’s won the career Grand Slam in Rory McIlroy and he’s been playing professional golf since I think 2007, so sneaking up on 20 years.
Scottie Scheffler lifted his first Claret Jug last week(Image: 2025 R&A)
“Even if you cherry-picked the very best years of Rory McIlroy’s career, he’s never, not one year, been as good as Scottie Scheffler is right now. Never. No player has been as good except for Tiger Woods in the last forty years or so.
“Only one other player has had as many strokes gained per round in major championships in the modern era and that’s been Ben Hogan. So out of all of those other players (currently playing) – Scottie’s on another level.”
Those harsh comments come despite McIlroy being labelled a golfing prodigy from a young age, prior to going professional in 2007. His first major title came in the form of a record-breaking US Open win in 2011.
Scheffler, meanwhile, first reached No. 1 in the world rankings in 2022 before suffering a slip. His current run at the top goes back to 2023, having now been ranked the No. 1 golfer in the world for 114 consecutive weeks.
It marks the longest streak since Woods held the top spot for 264 weeks from August 1999 to September 2004, and again for a staggering 281 straight weeks from June 2005 through October 2010.
