Rory McIlroy gets real on PGA Tour’s chances against Scottie Scheffler: ‘We’re all f—ed’

Rory McIlroy had a blunt answer when asked if he could win the 2026 Player of the Year.

McIlroy shook his head and laughed and said, “I’m not the player of the year. No chance, Scottie [Scheffler] is.”

The response comes after Scheffler’s dominant eight-shot win last week at the FedEx St. Jude Championship.

Rory McIlroy gives a hilarious answer about winning Player of the Year. Getty Images

“If he gains nine strokes on the greens every week, we’re all f—ed,” McIlroy said.

McIlroy was paired alongside Scheffler of the tournament in Memphis.

Despite McIlroy having a performance where he finished the event placing 66th, leaving him disappointed, the former three-time PGA Player of the Year winner and four-time FedEx Cup winner was impressed by Scheffler.

Scheffler’s victory at the St. Jude last week gave him his 21st PGA Tour win in his career and his second tour title this year, after he won the American Express Tournament in January.

Scottie Scheffler on the golf course during a PGA Tour event. Getty Images

The $3.6 million in prize money that Scheffler earned at the St. Jude brought his career total to more than $119 million, roughly $1 million shy of Tiger Woods’ all-time record.

Scheffler was a runner-up at the Masters this year and had top-five finishes at the U.S. Open and Open Championship while placing T-14 at the PGA Championship in May.