Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler achieved a feat not seen for 24 years at The Masters

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This year’s Masters was the closest we have come to an out-and-out duel between Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy.

Scheffler, the world number one, hunted down McIlroy late in an attempt to prevent McIlroy from tying him in Masters wins. McIlroy hung on down the stretch and ended up beating Scheffler by a single stroke to win back-to-back majors.

Scheffler and McIlroy have been the two best players in golf for a while now, but we still haven’t seen them face each other properly on the big stage. Despite that, this was the second time they had finished first and second at this tournament, as McIlroy was runner-up to Scheffler in 2022.

But by finishing one-two this year, they achieved something that hasn’t been done since Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson in 2002.

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Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler’s achievement that hasn’t been done since Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson

For the first time since the 2002 US Open, a world number one and two have finished in the top two at a major championship. Woods and Mickelson were the last to do this at Bethpage Black, as world number one Woods beat number two Mickelson by three strokes.

Golf’s biggest rivalry over the last half-decade has been between McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau during the PGA Tour’s war with LIV Golf. But truthfully, DeChambeau hasn’t quite been at McIlroy’s level.

Meanwhile, PGA Tour players have banded together, so it never truly felt like there was any tension between McIlroy and Scheffler.

But now McIlroy has tied Scheffler in Masters wins, and moved two majors ahead of Scheffler in the all-time list, maybe this rivalry is well and truly underway!

Scheffler can’t have been happy to lose this event to McIlroy, having played so poorly on Friday, scoring a two-over round. So expect him to come back with a vengeance at the PGA Championship and try to settle the score.

Comparing Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy’s achievements

It seemed inevitable last year that Scheffler would cruise past McIlroy in the all-time list of players, but McIlroy just made it that bit more interesting.

McIlroy, seven years older than Scheffler, now has two more major championships, and as Scheffler waits to win the US Open to complete the Career Grand Slam, McIlroy has all four majors in his cabinet. And we all know how hard it is to win that fourth major.

Meanwhile, Scheffler won his 20th PGA Tour event at the American Express earlier this year, but with this win, McIlroy moves to 30, putting him in the top 16 of all-time.

Scheffler has so many years on McIlroy that he’ll likely pass him in these numbers, but it does not look as certain as it did before.

• READ MORE: Scottie Scheffler may be entitled to be annoyed with his playing partner after final round of The Masters on Sunday