Rory McIlroy’s long-awaited Masters breakthrough ended with a green jacket earlier this year. He completed his career Grand Slam, becoming the sixth golfer in history to do so. But despite this, Scottie Scheffler got the better of him in one thing that mattered a lot at the end of the season. As the McIlroy vs Scheffler debate swirled, Billy Horschel offered a perspective, shaped less by rivalry and more by respect.

“It’s hard to get past Rory Augusta. When there’s only been what, five guys to ever win the career Grand Slam, and you have the sixth guy do that, he’s in rarified air. And we’ve always known that he was a special talent. I always believed that he was going to finally get a Masters and complete the career Grand Slam. I know there were probably doubts as every year went by, and it didn’t happen. People doubted that it was ever going to happen, but I always felt it was in the cards for Rory to be able to complete the career Grand Slam,” Billy Horschel told Sky Sports Golf.

Despite completing a career Grand Slam, being a part of the Ryder Cup team that won on foreign soil for the first time since 2012, winning his 7th Race to Dubai title and securing the 2025 BBC Sport Personality of the Year award, Rory McIlroy was left behind by Scottie Scheffler for the PGA Tour Player of the Year Award.

Rory McIlroy had waited since 2014 to win the Masters tournament. He came really close in 2015, 2018, and 2022, with a solo 4, T5, and runner-up finishes, respectively. However, he could never cross the winning line. But year after year, he continued to show up. And finally, he won in 2025 by beating Justin Rose in a playoff.

He carded rounds of 72-66-66-73 to finish 11 under 277 in a tie with Justin Rose. In the first playoff round, he hit a birdie on the par-4 18th hole to clinch the victory. It felt surreal when McIlroy went on his knees, bent towards the ground, and started tearing up.

With the win, he became only the sixth golfer in history to complete a career Grand Slam. The other five who achieved the mark are Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods.

Billy Horschel says that it was the moment of the year for him when McIlroy finally lifted the trophy and wore the green jacket. In fact, he watched the entire event, especially on Sunday, on television. He sat at the Mellow Mushroom in Hilton Head for five hours with his caddie and his stats guy.

Notably, Scheffler won the PGA Tour Player of the Year Award for the fourth consecutive time to enter an elite list with only Tiger Woods as the other member. On December 15, 2025, Scheffler was named the Player of the Year. “On behalf of the PGA TOUR, congratulations to Scottie Scheffler on being named PGA TOUR Player of the Year,” said CEO Brian Rolapp.

Rolapp stressed Scottie Scheffler’s continued success on the PGA Tour. While McIlroy did finish the career Grand Slam, Scheffler won two majors in 2025 – the PGA Championship and The Open Championship. He is just a US Open win away from becoming the seventh golfer in history to complete a Grand Slam. Besides that, he won four other PGA Tour events, while the Northern Irishman won two apart from the Masters.

Billy Horschel is not the only one who had a take on the Scottie Scheffler vs Rory McIlroy debate. Many other professionals, retired pros, and analysts have had their say.

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Golf world weighs in on the Rory McIlroy vs Scottie Scheffler debate

One of the first to react after the announcement was Jack Nicklaus. The 18x major champion didn’t support either Scheffler or McIlroy. However, his comments hinted at why the tour would have decided to go with the former.

“It’s very hard to overlook six victories in one year, including the @memorialgolf and two majors,” Jack Nicklaus wrote in a social media post congratulating Scheffler and sending positive words for the other finalists.

While Nicklaus took a neutral stand, golf analyst Ryan Lavner took a firm stand for the Northern Irishman. Just like Billy Horschel, he was viewing it from the perspective of personal achievement and respect. He acknowledged that no one could have beaten Scottie Scheffler on paper because statistically, he was decisively the best player. However, taking a personal satisfaction viewpoint into consideration, it was Rory McIlroy’s year.

In contrast with Ryan Lavner, John Daly was all in for Scottie Scheffler. “I’d have to go with Scottie,” he stated clearly in an exclusive interview with Hard Rock Bet. His view was that it was hard to neglect two major wins and give the trophy to Rory McIlroy.

In the end, the debate reflects two different measures of greatness. Some professionals and analysts value personal achievements. And some base their views on data and numbers. However, they all acknowledge that both Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler had an excellent 2025.