Scheffler says McIlroy might target his Olympic gold after achieving his Grand Slam dream
Masters champion Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland receives his Green Jacket from Masters champion Scottie Scheffler.
Scottie Scheffler said it was "cool" to see Rory McIlroy complete the career Grand Slam and reckons the Holywood star may now be targeting his Olympic title.
The two-time Masters champion begins his defence of the $20 million RBC Heritage at Harbour Town Golf Links, where Shane Lowry also tees it up, seeking his first win this season.
The Texan finished just three shots behind McIlroy and Justin Rose at Augusta National, and while he's not setting himself Grand Slam goals, the reigning Olympic champion believes a gold medal could be McIlroy's next target.
"It was cool to be able to see Rory get the job done," said Scheffler, who won gold in Paris in a nine-win 2024. "Definitely from the outside it looked a lot more like relief than anything.
"Rory has accomplished everything in the game of golf, and that was really the last thing for him to accomplish.
"The guy has won FedExCup, The Players, all four majors. Maybe the only other thing would be the Olympics is what he would want to win.
"So for him, it was really cool for me to be there in that moment. He's a good friend of mine. To be able to congratulate him and just see the joy on him and his family was really cool."
While he's won two green jackets, Scheffler has not won any of the other majors, but he's not putting himself under pressure to join McIlroy in the Grand Slam club.
"I don't think very often about career goals or anything like that," Scheffler said. "I try my best to stay in the present.
"At the end of the day, my motivation is all internal. Was it really cool getting to see him accomplish that? Yes, of course.
"Winning the career Grand Slam, I think that's something that any golfer would dream of, but at the end of the day, I'm just trying to get the most out of myself. That's about it."
Séamus Power failed to qualify for Hilton Head but instead tees it up in the $4m Corales Puntacana Championship in the Dominican Republic as Leona Maguire plays the JM Eagle LA Championship in Los Angeles.
On the DP World Tour, Conor Purcell is looking to move up the Race to Dubai in the Volvo China Open.
After three missed cuts, the Portmarnock star (27) tees it up at Enhance Anting Golf Club in Shanghai. But he knows form is fleeting and that patience is key in his rookie season.
"My game's a lot better than the results are saying," Purcell said. "There's a lot more good stuff than bad stuff in there. I'm just playing around the cut number a little bit too much.
"Bad golf annoys me as much as it does anybody else but the big picture is that it's a long year, and if you don't start well, there's plenty more events to play and shoot a good score.
"The Challenge Tour showed me that when you play well, you need to maximise those good weeks."
On the Challenge Tour, Mark Power is inspired by McIlroy as he chases success in the Abu Dhabi Challenge at Al Ain Equestrian, Shooting & Golf Club.
"I met him once when I was over in America at the Genesis Invitational in Los Angeles," said Power, who is looking to build on his tie for sixth in the UAE Challenge last week.
"We were over there with our college team; it was just after the Walker Cup that I had played in, and he said he'd watched it, which was really cool.
"He's such a high-profile figure, but he does keep in touch with the younger Irish guys, and it was great to see him win. The floodgates could open for him now; he's that good."
Power is joined in Abu Dhabi by Liam Nolan, Jonathan Caldwell, Dermot McElroy, Max Kennedy and Daniel Mulligan and he's keen to contend again.
"I played here last year and made the cut, and I know the course well," Power said. "I played it three weeks ago on the Clutch Tour and finished eighth in that again. I felt like I was in a good position on the back nine to get it done.
"Hopefully, just getting into contention will stand me in good stead this week. Also, playing the course so recently is a big advantage; it's still so fresh in my mind."
