Can Rory McIlroy get the better of Scottie Scheffler in 2026?

To say we are currently witnessing two of the greatest golfers of all time go head-to-head is a very accurate statement. Rory McIlroy has had a prestigious career, and a victory-full 2025. Scottie Scheffler has been in the exact same form he has for the past few years, dominant, ruthless - a nightmare for the rest of the field.  

As of December 8th, Scottie Scheffler has entered his 167th week at the top of the world golf rankings. That alone is crazy. But can he remain in that spot with Rory McIlroy in some of the best form of his entire career?  

Who Had The Better 2025 - Scottie Scheffler or Rory McIlroy? 

(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography)

Both players had electric 2025 seasons. Both won majors, both broke down barriers, both caused headaches and agony for the rest of the field, week in, week out. But who had the best 2025? 

2025 was full of joy for Scottie, with six wins and 17 top 10 finishes on the PGA Tour. Two of those wins you will remember were his dominant victories at the PGA Championship and the Open Championship. These major victories mean Scottie will head into the 2026 season with his eyes fixed tightly on the US Open. Winning this would complete his career Grand Slam, just four years after he picked up his first major trophy at the Masters in 2022! 

Rory, on the other hand, had fewer wins and fewer top 10 finishes, but he did breakdown his personal barriers. Rory collected three victories and eight top 10 finishes on the PGA Tour in 2025, including the Players Championship, but the most memorable was his historic victory at Augusta, where he completed his long-awaited career Grand Slam. 

The Northern Irishman later won the Irish Open at The K Club in front of a fanatical home crowd. 

At the 2025 Ryder Cup, we were fortunate enough to see the two heavyweights clash head-to-head in the Sunday singles. This clash was slightly overshadowed by extreme happenings around the course as the USA team found an unbelievable patch of momentum which had Europeans feeling edgy late into the evening. Their match came down to the 18th, where Scottie would force McIlroy into conceding on the final green. The world no.1 had won this round.  

Ultimately, if golf came down to the numbers, Scottie had the better 2025. Both players had exceptional seasons, but Scottie came out on top with double the wins Rory achieved, and more top-10 finishes as well. To call Scottie dominant and ruthless is an understatement.  

How Far Ahead is Scottie Scheffler?

In the Official World Golf Rankings, Scottie currently sits on 729 points, Rory in second sits on 461. Meaning Rory trails by a whopping 268 points - so it's safe to say Scottie's position isn’t in any immediate threat! 

How Does The OWGR Points System Work? 

Now bear with us, because this is where it all gets quite confusing. Players gain OWGR points by competing in a tour that is considered eligible by the OWGR, such as the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour. Each tournament has a strength of field rating, which is determined by the rankings of the overall field. Therefore, a higher ranked field, equals more points to be earned. Winning a major championship awards the victor with 100 OWGR points, the Players Championship first place pays out 80 points, while every other tournament first place is capped at 80 points.  

The points do not reset, instead they steadily decay over a two-year rolling period. Points earned stay at their original value for 13 weeks before they begin to decrease. Points earned drop to zero 104 weeks after they were originally won. Someone's overall ranking is ultimately based on the total points won over the past 104 weeks, divided by a player's number of events played.  

Hopefully that all makes sense and paints a picture of how these two greats can continue to challenge each other in the world rankings.  

Can Scottie Beat Tiger's Record? 

Throwing to back to July, where Scottie won the Open Championship, as well as giving one of golf's most hard-hitting interviews in many years. Scottie admitted that golf wasn’t ultimately fulfilling him, as well as confessing that he was unsure what made him want to win the biggest golf competitions in history. This press conference seemed to split the golf world down the centre, many credited Scottie for openly speaking on his life priorities outside of his profession, the other half found frustration in his lack of drive. It was a confusing one considering the circumstances at the time, that's for sure.  

Ultimately heading into the 2026 season, the question begs to be asked, where is Scottie Scheffler's head right now?  Whatever Scottie has been doing for the last few years or so, it is clearly working, but can it carry on like that forever? 

Tiger Woods currently holds the record for consecutive weeks spent at the world no.1 spot, with 281 weeks sat on the throne. We are at a point now where we could see someone take this title off one of golf's greatest ever players.  

It is a constant conversation, who is the best golfer of all time, and where will Scottie fall into this conversation a decade from now? Many would say that Tiger is the best golfer of all time, and it is without doubt a fair argument. Tiger, just like Scottie, dominated the game throughout his career. The PGA Tour has been ruled by Scottie for over two years now, his game shows no signs of slowing down. With that being said, Scottie needs to hold his title at the summit for another 148 weeks before he matches Tigers record. That is a truly immense statistic! 

Who Could Challenge Scheffler & McIlroy? 

There are a number of players who I think could scrap their way in between Scottie and Rory, but I think the main man at this moment time is without doubt Tommy Fleetwood. The Englishman fought, nipped and scratched his way through the 2025 season, and by the final day of the DP World Tour, he’d conquered third place in the world rankings. A surreal achievement after some of the heartbreaking moments we’ve witnessed Tommy experience over the past few seasons.  

Tommy’s first PGA Tour win came at the 2025 Tour Championship, I doubt I’m alone when I say I enjoyed that win a little more than most other victories this season. It would be impossible to speak about the Englishman without mentioning the 2025 Ryder Cup as well. Tommy played in every session on the Friday and Saturday, and he did so unbeaten. It was unfortunate that he was toppled on the Sunday by a fired-up Justin Thomas, but that’s just golf.  

If Tommy carries on this run of form, and maintains this newfound level of confidence, then I have no doubt that in the 2026 season, the battle of the top two will become the war of the top three.  

So, can Rory get the better of Scottie in 2026? It’s on the table, but my word he has a job on his hands if Scottie's expected form remains. Tommy Fleetwood will also be hot on his tail for that second place. The 2026 season is set up to be an absolute display of world class golf, and I for one, cannot wait!