Scottie Scheffler is the hot favourite..

Scottie Scheffler is the hot favourite heading to the US Open at Oakmont, while Masters champion Rory McIlroy has struggled since his Augusta triumph.

Scottie Scheffler disagreed with US Open rival Rory McIlroy’s bold Tiger Woods claim about him.

While McIlroy has experienced an unexpected slump since securing his historic Masters win in April, Scheffler has kept raising the bar, claiming the PGA Championship title in the second major of the year last month.

Following an unimpressive performance at the US PGA and a subsequent disappointing display at the RBC Canadian Open, where he missed his first cut this season, McIlroy is dealing with concerns about his driving ahead of the US Open at Oakmont. Speaking after his Canadian Open exit, the Northern Irishman said: “Yeah, of course it concerns me. You don’t want to shoot high scores like the one I did today.

Still, I felt like I came here obviously with a new driver, thinking that that was going to be good and solve some of the problems off the tee, but it didn’t. Going to Oakmont next week, what you need to do more than anything else there is hit fairways. Still searching for the missing piece off the tee. For me, when I get that part of the game clicking, then everything falls into place for me. Right now that isn’t.”

Scheffler, on the other hand, missed the Canadian Open and heads to Oakmont as the favourite to win a first US Open crown. The Texan has been in outstanding form, clinching three of his last four tournaments following a slow start to the 2025 season.

The 28-year-old claimed victory at the Byron Nelson before adding to his PGA Championship success with a win at the Memorial Tournament. Scheffler has consistently finished in the top 10 since March and will be the man to beat.

McIlroy is full of admiration for him. He previously likened him to golfing great Woods, saying he “just doesn’t make mistakes” following his rival’s impressive feats in 2024. The five-time major champion said: “I’ve never – this is anyone, this is Tiger, this is in the history of golf – I don’t think I’ve ever seen a golfer play as many bogey-free rounds as Scottie. He just doesn’t make mistakes. He plays the right shot at the right time over and over and over again.”

However, Scheffler was quick to dismiss the comparison while expressing his respect for 15-time major winner Woods after successfully defending his title at the Hero World Challenge last year. Scheffler said: “I’m never really good at that kind of stuff.
“I really do my best when I stay in the present. It’s been a fantastic year, I’m very grateful for the season and grateful for the wins and it’s been a ton of fun. But at the end of the day, when we go home, I’m looking forward to doing stuff that’s not golf.

“I like to go home and live my life and enjoy my time at home. I’ve had a little bit of time to reflect, but I’m not really sure how to assess it. It’s just been pretty surreal, it’s been a lot of fun. I’m just really grateful.”

Scottie Scheffler is the hot favourite heading to the US Open at Oakmont, while Masters champion Rory McIlroy has struggled since his Augusta triumph.

Scottie Scheffler disagreed with US Open rival Rory McIlroy’s bold Tiger Woods claim about him.

While McIlroy has experienced an unexpected slump since securing his historic Masters win in April, Scheffler has kept raising the bar, claiming the PGA Championship title in the second major of the year last month.

Following an unimpressive performance at the US PGA and a subsequent disappointing display at the RBC Canadian Open, where he missed his first cut this season, McIlroy is dealing with concerns about his driving ahead of the US Open at Oakmont. Speaking after his Canadian Open exit, the Northern Irishman said: “Yeah, of course it concerns me. You don’t want to shoot high scores like the one I did today.

Still, I felt like I came here obviously with a new driver, thinking that that was going to be good and solve some of the problems off the tee, but it didn’t. Going to Oakmont next week, what you need to do more than anything else there is hit fairways. Still searching for the missing piece off the tee. For me, when I get that part of the game clicking, then everything falls into place for me. Right now that isn’t.”

Scheffler, on the other hand, missed the Canadian Open and heads to Oakmont as the favourite to win a first US Open crown. The Texan has been in outstanding form, clinching three of his last four tournaments following a slow start to the 2025 season.

The 28-year-old claimed victory at the Byron Nelson before adding to his PGA Championship success with a win at the Memorial Tournament. Scheffler has consistently finished in the top 10 since March and will be the man to beat.

McIlroy is full of admiration for him. He previously likened him to golfing great Woods, saying he “just doesn’t make mistakes” following his rival’s impressive feats in 2024. The five-time major champion said: “I’ve never – this is anyone, this is Tiger, this is in the history of golf – I don’t think I’ve ever seen a golfer play as many bogey-free rounds as Scottie. He just doesn’t make mistakes. He plays the right shot at the right time over and over and over again.”

However, Scheffler was quick to dismiss the comparison while expressing his respect for 15-time major winner Woods after successfully defending his title at the Hero World Challenge last year. Scheffler said: “I’m never really good at that kind of stuff.
“I really do my best when I stay in the present. It’s been a fantastic year, I’m very grateful for the season and grateful for the wins and it’s been a ton of fun. But at the end of the day, when we go home, I’m looking forward to doing stuff that’s not golf.

“I like to go home and live my life and enjoy my time at home. I’ve had a little bit of time to reflect, but I’m not really sure how to assess it. It’s just been pretty surreal, it’s been a lot of fun. I’m just really grateful.”