Rory McIlroy says Scottie Scheffler is PGA Tour Player of the Year - ESPN

ST. LOUIS — Rory McIlroy could add the season-ending Tour Championship to his Masters green jacket and his seven top-25 finishes this season, and he believes his résumé still wouldn't be good enough to be the PGA Tour Player of the Year.

«No, I'm not the player of the year,» McIlroy said Wednesday at Bellerive Country Club, the site of this week's BMW Championship. «No chance. Scottie is.»

McIlroy is referring to Scottie Scheffler, the world No. 1 who picked up his second victory — by a whopping eight strokes — in last week's FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee.

«I firsthand watched him for the first two days last week, and if he keeps playing like that, [and] if he gains nine strokes on the greens every week, we're all f'd,» said McIlroy, who tied for 66th at 8 over at TPC Southwind, 25 strokes behind Scheffler.

Matt Fitzpatrick, a three-time winner on tour this season, also suggested that Scheffler has wrapped up the race given his massive lead in the FedEx Cup standings.

«Obviously, it would be amazing to be able to achieve that,» Fitzpatrick said. «I think a certain someone's sewed it up last week.»

After winning seven times in 2024 and six more times last season, Scheffler hadn't finished first since his first start this season in the American Express on Jan. 25.

While Scheffler, the defending BMW Championship winner, went through one of the longest winless droughts of his career, he had been the tour's most consistent golfer in 2026. He finished in the top 25 in all but one of his 18 starts, including five runner-up finishes and two thirds.

«I talk a lot about how hard it is and difficult it is to win out here on tour,» Scheffler said. «The best way to win tournaments is to give