McIlroy stuck in neutral over weekend at Torrey Pines

Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy played together in The Genesis Invitational’s final round, each needing a red-hot Sunday at Torrey Pines' South Course to make up a five-stroke deficit and contend at the season’s third Signature Event.

Scheffler made his move and factored until the final stretch. McIlroy did not.

Scheffler carded a final-round, 6-under 66 at Torrey Pines’ South Course, turning in 5-under 31 and playing a solid if unspectacular final nine that was highlighted by a hole-out birdie from the left greenside bunker at the par-4 15th hole.

The world No. 1 finished solo third at 9-under, three back of winner Ludvig Åberg, who closed in 66 for his second TOUR title. Scheffler is 0-for-3 in the win column this season after returning from a hand injury two weeks ago – he finished T9 at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and T25 at the WM Phoenix Open – but his Sunday surge outside San Diego suggests his next victory might not be far off.

The 13-time TOUR winner isn’t one for moral victories, but he was heartened by his ability to flip the switch on a frustrating Saturday (4-over 76) to have a chance Sunday at The Genesis, hosted by Tiger Woods, which was relocated from The Riviera Country Club to Torrey Pines after last month’s devastating wildfires in Los Angeles and the surrounding communities.

“I think it's just a constant battle within yourself to stay patient and stay patient with the golf course, especially when I'm pressing coming from behind,” Scheffler said of his final-round 66 that tied Åberg for Sunday’s second-lowest score, behind runner-up Maverick McNealy (64).

“Like I said yesterday, I feel like I pressed a bit too much and paid the price for it. Today I did a better job I think managing my way around the course … Overall put up a good fight. I didn't have what was my best stuff this week and still found a way to give myself a chance in the tournament. A few less mistakes over the weekend and could be a different story.”

McIlroy, meanwhile, was doomed on the greens in a final-round 72, which dropped him nine spots on the leaderboard on a calmer Sunday at Torrey Pines after much of the week featured blustery, demanding conditions. McIlroy finished at -2.955 Strokes Gained: Putting for Sunday’s final round, after losing 3.9 strokes on the greens in a third-round 74. That kept him from building on a promising start to the week (he was three off the lead midway through The Genesis), and his T17 finish marked a step back from his victory at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am two weeks back, his first PGA TOUR start of 2025.

McIlroy’s final stretch Sunday was mostly ceremonial, while his playing partner hung on the precipice of contention despite a series of left misses and angsty expressions. The fact that Scheffler even had a chance down the stretch, though, was a product of his resilience. The Texan stood just one off the pace into Saturday’s third round at Torrey Pines, having carded a second-round 67 despite hitting just five of 14 fairways. It was a testament to Scheffler’s ability to thrive in various situations; even though his tee-to-green game ranks favorably in modern TOUR history, his innate creativity means that he can craft a score even when fighting his full swing. Things evened out for Scheffler in a third-round 76, derailed by bogeys on each of the front-nine par 5s and a double-bogey 6 at No. 15, which meant he needed a magical Sunday for a chance.

Scheffler answered the bell on the first nine Sunday – he birdied both front-nine par 5s, and he added circles at Nos. 2, 5 and 7 on a bogey-free side. But he missed the green left at the dastardly par-3 11th and left his second shot in the rough, leading to a bogey. He answered with a 9-foot birdie at the par-5 13th and the bunker hole-out birdie at No. 15, but another missed green and bogey at the par-3 16th removed any realistic hopes of earning his first TOUR title in the state of California. At the par-5 18th, he striped a fairway metal from 245 yards to 16 feet and two-putted for a closing birdie; he posted the temporary clubhouse lead at 9-under before eventual runner-up McNealy posted 11-under in the following group.

Scheffler didn’t want to make any proclamations on his schedule afterward, but he allowed that he anticipates competing at next month’s Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard and THE PLAYERS Championship. The reigning FedExCup champion is a clear horse for the course at Bay Hill (two wins in his last three starts) and TPC Sawgrass (back-to-back titles). We’re approaching the time of year when Scheffler makes his hay, and although he went trophy-less in the past three weeks on the West Coast swing, it would be unwise to expect the “drought” to continue much longer.

“Overall, you know, coming back after a four-ish-week layoff and not really having a ton of time to prep, I'm pretty pleased,” Scheffler said Sunday afternoon. “I'm trying to do my best to stay patient with myself, which can be tough because I have high expectations and I think when I get out here and start competing, I definitely forget that I had lost some of the progress I made in the offseason.

“It's not easy to come out here and play competitive golf at a high level and get right back to where I was last year, losing those weeks that I had at home where I couldn't do anything. I think some of that makes it even more impressive what Tiger's able to do off of his surgeries and long layoffs and just come out and compete with us is pretty miraculous. I'm trying to give myself a little bit of grace and some patience kind of getting back into the swing of things.”