How Rory McIlroy’s Advice Turned Scottie Scheffler into an Unstoppable Golfing Titan

Scottie Scheffler’s Putter Transformation: The Rory McIlroy Influence

How Rory McIlroy’s Advice Turned Scottie Scheffler into an Unstoppable Golfing Titan

Scottie Scheffler is currently playing golf at a record-setting level, and he may well have friend and competitor Rory McIlroy to thank for that. The journey of how a simple piece of advice transformed Scheffler’s game and turned him into an unbeatable force is nothing short of extraordinary.

Scottie Scheffler began the year as the world’s No. 1-ranked golfer, having topped the PGA Tour money list for the past two seasons. His exceptional skills on the course made him a dominant player, but there was a glaring weakness in his game: his putting. Even while outperforming his competitors in most areas, Scheffler was a below-average putter on the PGA Tour. This issue came to a head at the Genesis Invitational in February, where he lost 4.4 strokes to the field on the greens, ranking worst among players who made the cut. Despite this setback, Scheffler finished in a tie for 10th place due to his remarkable performance in other aspects of the game, finishing second in strokes gained tee-to-green and first in strokes gained around the green. However, he still ended up nine shots behind the winner, Hideki Matsuyama.

After the tournament, Rory McIlroy, who has had his own struggles with putting, was asked about Scheffler’s putting woes. McIlroy shared his personal breakthrough with putting, attributing his improvement to switching from a blade putter to a mallet putter. “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,” McIlroy said. “For me, going to a mallet was a big change. I really persisted with the blade putter for a long time, but I just feel like your stroke has to be so perfect to start the ball on line, where the mallet just gives you a little bit more margin for error.”

He then offered a suggestion to Scheffler: “So, I’d love to see Scottie try a mallet. But selfishly for me, Scottie does everything else so well that he’s given the rest of us a chance.”

Scheffler took McIlroy’s advice to heart and made the switch from a blade putter to a mallet putter. The results were almost immediate and nothing short of remarkable. In the eight tournaments following the change, Scheffler finished above average in strokes gained putting in all eight events. He went on to win five of those tournaments, including the Arnold Palmer Invitational the very next week, where he finished fifth in the field in strokes gained putting.

Scheffler’s improvement in putting has been significant. He now ranks 71st on the PGA Tour in strokes gained putting, a dramatic rise that places him solidly in the top half of the 178 players qualified. More importantly, he is now gaining strokes per round on the greens rather than losing them.

Combining his newfound putting prowess with his already exceptional skills in ball striking (first in strokes gained tee-to-green) and strong play around the greens (14th in strokes gained around the green), Scheffler has become a seemingly unbeatable force on the tour. His transformation has been a testament to the impact that a small change, coupled with the right advice, can have on a player’s performance.

While McIlroy’s well-meaning advice was intended to help a friend, it may have inadvertently created an even more formidable competitor. Scheffler’s enhanced putting ability, combined with his existing strengths, has propelled him to new heights, much to the chagrin of his fellow golfers. The story of Scheffler’s transformation serves as a powerful reminder of how even the smallest changes can lead to significant improvements in performance.

Great job, Rors. Have fun explaining that one to the rest of the tour.