Rory McIlroy walks off the 16th hole during a practice round prior to the 2024 US PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky. Photograph: Patrick Smith/Getty Images
As it is, the two leading players in the world rankings head into this championship in the form of their lives:, the world number one, has won four of his last five tournaments including the Masters; McIlroy, the world number two, has won on his last two outings, in the Zurich Classic and the Wells Fargo. Scheffler, of course, was absent for both of those wins as he awaited the birth of his son.
And winning, and the momentum that feeds into a player, is on his side as much as it is on Scheffler’s. The win in the Zurich, in partnership with Lowry, was he admitted a “fun” experience. But the win in Charlotte last week showcased exactly how good each and every compartment of his game has become since the barren spell of earlier in the season.
As he put it of his TaylorMade Qi10 driver: “Honestly it’s probably the best driver I’ve had in the last few years. I’ve really got comfortable with the driver, and I think some of the technical things in my swing are just a little bit better. The good drives are still very good but the bad drives aren’t as bad so the misses aren’t as wild.