Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy have enjoyed a stellar year between them courtesy of three Major championship victories and seven tour wins.
In addition, the World No.2 triumphed in an enthralling playoff at The Players Championship before later going on to help Team Europe win the Ryder Cup once more.
On the other hand, Scheffler took a few weeks to find his groove following a ravioli-induced hand injury. But, once he did, the World No.1 consistently blew PGA Tour fields away and further cemented his status as the outright best player in the world.
Four PGA Tour wins and two Majors were landed among a sequence of 15 starts where Scheffler finished no worse than T8th.
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But while Scheffler undoubtedly earned more titles than McIlroy, the magnitude of the five-time Major winner’s achievements – which ticked off two of his three remaining career aims – raised questions over who had actually enjoyed the best year.
Below, three Golf Monthly writers share their thoughts and try to pick a side…
Nick Bonfield
I’ve gone back and forth several times before typing this, which shows just how close a call it is. It’s almost unfathomable to choose anyone other than the person who’s won two Majors, but I think McIlroy just edges it.
The Northern Irishman’s victory at The Masters wasn’t just a huge personal accomplishment; it was also historically significant. He became just the sixth golfer of all time to win the Career Grand Slam, which, as far as I’m concerned, means it carries additional weight.
I’d suggest a Career Grand Slam-winning Major almost equates to two of golf’s big four in terms of gravitas. In addition to that, he played a starring role as Europe won the Ryder Cup on away soil for the first time since the Miracle at Medinah in 2012.
Ahead of the season, McIlroy listed winning the Grand Slam and notching an away Ryder Cup as two of his remaining three career goals, alongside earning an Olympic Medal. While personal goals shouldn’t necessarily factor into an objective decision, it means a great deal when arguably the greatest European golfer ever completes two-thirds of his…
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