What happens when a champion finally conquers his Everest? Sir Nick Faldo has an answer Rory McIlroy might not want to hear—and it involves Scottie Scheffler leaving him behind.

“It is like climbing Everest, you don’t turn around and say ‘let’s go up again next month’,” Faldo said as per Belfast Telegraph. “There was so much emotion at Augusta, and you cannot reproduce the emotion to win a Major like that again. So I think it will be tough for Rory to win another one.”

Faldo didn’t stop there. He’s now backing Scheffler to dominate golf’s biggest stages for years to come.

“Scottie seems to be very clear-headed right now,” the 68-year-old said. “He’s in that wonderful moment where he trusts his game 100 percent. It’s like Tiger was. Scottie’s in that lovely mindset and routine of going to every tournament thinking, ‘How do I find a way to win this?’ Whereas other guys are just trying to get to Sunday.

“Some guys are choking on Thursday, but Scottie is choke-free at the moment, which is amazing.”

Notably, this year, besides winning the Open Championship and the PGA Championship, Scottie Scheffler T7 at US Open and T4 at the Masters. What’s more, Scheffler has essentially made his name among the greats already.

As per a report, the US star holds three of nine spots in the lowest scoring averages in  PGA Tour history. While Tiger Woods tops the top two spots in the list with 67.79 (2000) and 67.79 (2007), Scheffler comes in at third and fourth with 67.99 (2025) and 68.01 (2024) respectively. The conscutive four spots are then occupied by Woods, before Scheffler rounds up the list at and ninth with 68.63 (2023).

And, as you noticed correctly, Rory McIlroy is nowhere to be found. But perhaps his Masters win was enough to take away the cake.

Besides that, the Northern Irish golfer finished T47 at the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow, 14 shots behind winner Scottie Scheffler. Then, he finished T19 at the US Open, and managed just T7 at The Open Championship posting 70-69-66-69, never truly threatening the leaders.

But, now what?

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Scottie Scheffler’s choke-free dominance

Faldo sees the opposite trajectory in Scheffler. The 29-year-old American won two Majors in 2025—the PGA Championship by five shots and The Open by four. He led the PGA Tour in 28 different statistical categories. His scoring average of 68.13 topped the field. His Strokes Gained: Total of +2.743 meant he was more than a full stroke better than second-place McIlroy per round.

The age gap matters too. Scheffler, at 29, is entering his prime years. McIlroy, at 36, is managing his legacy. Scheffler needs just a U.S. Open title to complete his own career Grand Slam. That hunger—that clear remaining goal—gives him the motivation McIlroy now lacks. And, history offers cautionary tales. Gene Sarazen completed the Grand Slam at age 33 in 1935 and never won another Major. Ben Hogan finished his at 40 in 1953 with the same result. Both men achieved their dream and couldn’t summon the intensity again.

Faldo predicted McIlroy faces a choice: “He’s either going to be disappointed that he’s won 10 or he is going to be ecstatic that he’s got to five.”

The implication stings. McIlroy climbed his Everest. Scheffler is still building his empire.