Rory McIlroy could be ‘scary’ after Masters win, says Open champ

Rory McIlroy has been backed to hit a purple patch in major championships after his Masters win, and that could spell trouble for his rivals.

Just ask Xander Schauffele.

The American enjoyed a breakout year in 2024, winning both the PGA Championship and The Open, yet even he feels slightly worried.

Speaking to reporters in the build-up to this year’s Open at Royal Portrush, Schauffele insisted a free-flowing McIlroy is a daunting prospect.

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“Well, it’s incredible for the game of golf,” the 31-year-old said of McIlroy’s triumph at Augusta National.

“It is really good for the game of golf. There’s no other way to put it, to be honest. Him winning — just anytime he’s on-site or — no one is going to be like Tiger, but I’d call Rory and the likes of Scottie a close second.

“If you just look at how many people follow them, how many people talk about them, anything to get eyeballs on our game is a good thing, and him winning the Masters, a generational talent to do what he did is obviously an incredible achievement.

“Again, scary for guys like us. If that was something that was holding him back and now he feels free, that could be a pretty scary thing.”

It had been 11 years since McIlroy last tasted major glory, with a raft of attempts to complete the career grand slam passing by.

But now the monkey is off the Northern Irishman’s back, Schauffele sees no reason why he can’t become a serial major winner again.

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“Yeah, I don’t see why he wouldn’t be,” Schauffele said. “He has all the tools.

“I think when I look at his game and what he can do — I look back at my game, and he was one of the examples at that time.

“I used him, Brooks, Bryson; those guys were all a lot stronger than me; they hit it further than me; they did certain things way better than I did. That was one of the areas I like to where I tried to pick up some of that slack.

“If he’s firing on all cylinders — I’ve played against him when he’s done it, and it’s not fun for me. It’s fun for everyone else to watch, but it’s definitely a thing that’s hard to beat.

“Would I be surprised if he started rattling some [major wins] off? No. Am I going to be there to try and stop him? Absolutely.”

Schauffele, meanwhile, will defend his Claret Jug from July 17-20 after recovering from an injury that delayed his start to the season.

And he claims having McIlroy and Shane Lowry on home soil could allow him to slip under the radar in front of a record crowd.

John Turnbull A graduate of the University of Stirling, John joined the bunkered team in 2023 as a Content Producer, with a responsibility for covering all breaking news, tour news, grassroots content and much more besides. A keen golfer, he plays the majority of his golf at Falkirk Tryst Golf Club. Top of his 'bucket list' is a round of Pebble Beach... ideally in the company of Gareth Bale.