Rory McIlroy jokes about Scottie Scheffler’s jail time ahead of US Open

Rory McIlroy couldn’t help but break down Scottie Scheffler joke from a prison cell during a press conference before We are open.

McIlroy, 35, was asked to comment on Scheffler’s victory five times in the last eight starts on the PGA Tour and what impressed him the most in terms of the achievements of the running away No. 1 in the world in 2024.

“Well, I’ve never run like that before,” McIlroy said, stifling a laugh.

“The fact that the only thing that robbed him of winning the golf tournament was being sent to jail for an hour!”

To watch: Scheffler tells the story to McIlroy’s wife in the backseat of a police car!

Scottie Scheffler won his fifth title in eight starts

A tearful statement from a Northern Irishman, although not entirely true.

While Scheffler finished T8 at the US PGA, the week in which he was arrested before the second round (charges were ultimately dropped), he lost by one shot to Stephan Jaeger in his home tournament at the Texas Children’s Houston Open in late March and finished five shots behind Davis Riley and finished second again in his home state at the Charles Schwab Challenge in May.

Scheffler was shockingly arrested at the US PGA

Aside from those near misses, Scheffler has been in good form since successfully defending the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players Championship in March.

He then donned the famous green jacket for the second time in three years in April at The Masters, and the following week he donned another jacket at the RBC Heritage.

Scheffler then continued his incredible streak by beating Collin Morikawa with a single shot in the post at Sunday’s Memorial Tournament.

**Scottie Scheffler in his last eight starts**
Arnold Palmer’s invitation	HE WON
Players Championship	HE WON
Houston Kids Texas Open	T2
Masters	HE WON
RBC Legacy	HE WON
USA PGA Championship	T8
Charles Schwab Challenge	T2
Memorial Tournament	HE WON

McIlroy is simply impressed with his Ryder Cup rival and believes his form motivates everyone to play better.

Scroll down to see McIlroy’s comments…

Rory McIlroy

“I think it’s just tenacity,” McIlroy added.

“Listen, a lot of things happened in his life too. They just had a new baby. He had some issues with his game, especially with the putter, which he managed to turn over.

“It’s not that he didn’t encounter any challenges along the way, or that the circumstances were a little different for him. But yes, I mean the word I use to describe it is “relentless.” It seems like every time he shows up, he’s a guy to beat, and deservedly so.

“In this series he’s been in, I think he’s played 14 times this year or 13 times this year, only one top-10. It seems like he’s always in competition.

“The most exciting thing last week at the Memorial was when he made a triple on 9. Everyone was like, oh, it looks like he might be letting people in here, but he finds a way to steady the ship, make some birdies when he is undoubtedly currently the best player in the world.

“It’s up to us to try to get to his level.”