Jack Nicklaus, widely regarded as one of finest golfers of all time with 18 major wins under his belt, has weighed in on the Scottie Scheffler vs Rory McIlroy debate

Jack Nicklaus had had his say on the Rory McIlroy-Scottie Scheffler rivalry (Image: Jorge Lemus/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

With just over a fortnight to go before the US Open tees off, golf’s biggest names are fine-tuning their form ahead of the third major of the 2025 season. Scottie Scheffler claimed victory at the PGA Championship earlier this month and followed it up with a share of fourth place at the Charles Schwab Challenge on Sunday.

The American finished level with England’s Tommy Fleetwood, with both players pocketing around £335,000 each. Although Rory McIlroy opted not to take part in the Texas-based event, he still found himself in the headlines – this time thanks to legendary figure Jack Nicklaus.

Here, Mirror Sport has rounded up the main talking points from the golfing world, including Nicklaus’ comments on McIlroy’s game, Fleetwood’s ongoing battle with an unwanted milestone, and Sky Sports commentator Wayne Riley’s blunt criticism of Matthias Schmid’s pace of play.

Sky Sports pundit Wayne Riley didn’t hold back in expressing his irritation over Matthias Schmid’s slow play during the Charles Schwab Challenge. Despite putting in an excellent performance to finish runner-up behind Benjamin Griffin and taking home over £800,000, the German’s measured approach clearly grated on the Australian broadcaster.

Riley, who was following Schmid during the penultimate round, became visibly exasperated as the 27-year-old took what seemed like an age over a particular shot. At one point, Riley was left standing for more than two minutes, waiting for the player to commit.

Wayne Riley made it clear he was not a fan of Matti Schmid’s slow pace(Image: Getty Images)

“He likes a back off, this guy,” Riley said in frustration. “He’s done it a couple of times, I’ve noticed. Look, he’s backing off again.”

Schmid was seen in deep discussion with his caddie, apparently rethinking club selection due to shifting wind conditions. Riley, clearly fed up, added: “I feel like we’ve been standing over this shot for 20 minutes.”

As Schmid continued to stall, Riley’s irritation turned to outright criticism: “This guy has thrown the anchor out, he’s a really slow player. I’m not sure if he’s always like this but it’s the first time I’ve been out with him.”

Fleetwood’s unwanted record

Tommy Fleetwood is still waiting to win his first PGA Tour title, despite earning over £22m in prize money on the circuit (Image: Getty Images)

It may have been another profitable weekend for Tommy Fleetwood, but the Englishman remains burdened by a statistic he’d likely prefer to avoid. Despite earning a staggering £22.8m in his PGA Tour career to date, Fleetwood still hasn’t managed to win a single tournament on the circuit.

It means he had the unwanted record of being the golfer who’s earned the most prize money without clinching a tour event. Since turning professional in 2010, Fleetwood has posted 27 top-five finishes in PGA Tour events, with five runner-up spots to his name.

On the European-based DP World Tour, he’s picked up seven titles, yet a breakthrough on American soil continues to elude him. With form on his side, however, he’ll be hoping to end the drought before long.

McIlroy criticised by Nicklaus

Jack Nicklaus admitted he sees himself more in Scottie Scheffler rather than Rory McIlroy(Image: David Cannon/Getty Images)

Golfing icon Jack Nicklaus has weighed in on the growing rivalry between Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy – revealing he sees more of himself in the American. While Nicklaus praised McIlroy for his achievements and congratulated him personally on his recent Masters win, he also highlighted a recurring flaw in the Northern Irishman’s game.

“[I see myself more in] Scotty,” said the 85-year-old. “First of all, Rory, the ball gets away from Rory right to left. Always has his career. He hasn’t corrected it, but he still has had a great career with it. But could he have had a better career if he’d gone a little bit the other way? I don’t know.

“Maybe yes, maybe no. But Scottie has learned at a fairly young age that keeping the ball in play [is key]. He’s long, he’s certainly long enough, as long as the rest of the guys. But he doesn’t try to be.

Jack Nicklaus has more major titles (18) than anyone in history, with Scottie Scheffler trailing on three(Image: Getty Images)

“He makes sure that he puts it in play so that he’s got a second shot to play. I think that wins golf tournaments more often than hitting it over the top of trees and so forth.”