Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler eye new Big Three at Masters
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AUGUSTA – Sixty years after Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer and Gary Player became golf’s “Big Three” champions, another top trio is challenging for the moniker – Scottie Scheffler, Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy.
Defending champion Scheffler has the world No. 1 ranking entering this week’s Masters, but third-ranked Rahm and world No. 2 McIlroy can each overtake him with a victory on Sunday at Augusta National.
The threesome have separated themselves from rivals in the world rankings, motivating one another other to new heights by challenging one another.
“We’ve been able to rack up more wins than anybody else. Just being able to get it done. You create your own luck, playing in good form and feeding off each other, Scottie starting it last year and myself later in the fall,” Rahm said.
The 28-year-old Spaniard, who won his first Major title at the 2021 US Open, made a sizzling start to the PGA season by winning the Tournament of Champions, American Express and Genesis Invitational crowns.
McIlroy, 33, won the Dubai Desert Classic while 26-year-old Scheffler has captured March’s Players Championship and defended his PGA Phoenix Open title. Both reached the WGC Match Play semi-finals.
“It just seems like every week we’re playing, one of us has got a chance to win that tournament,” McIlroy said.
“It feels like one of us three is popping up every week we play with a chance to win. That’s the level that we all want to be at. Seeing those two guys consistently performing at that level just pushes me to want to be better.”
Rahm said he fed off losing to Scheffler in Phoenix for his final round to win the Genesis and admitted the trio might be even tighter than the rankings claim.
“Point difference might be a lot larger than what the actual game difference might be between the three of us. If we’re talking about half a shot a round, that’s just absolutely nothing. That’s one good bounce and there’s the difference,” he said.
Rahm includes 15-time Major winner Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson (six Majors) and Vijay Singh (three) in another Big Three.
“Even while Tiger has been on his run in the 2000s, Phil and Vijay still managed to win 45 and 20-plus times themselves in that time frame,” he noted.
But Rahm said only time will tell if he, McIlroy and Scheffler can earn their spot as a top trio.
“You can say that, if we do it for at least five-plus years like many of those players did,” Rahm said.
“For us to be compared to something like that, we have a very long way to go. It could be the start. But still a long way to go.”
No one realises that more than the players themselves, with McIlroy laughing when asked if they talk about their domination.
“I just had breakfast with Jon Rahm. And that didn’t come up, no,” McIlroy said. AFP
