Rory McIlroy’s advice proved golden for Scottie Scheffler, who dominated the golfing world across the 2024 season after switching to a mallet-style putter.

With an impressive nine wins including prestigious titles like the Players Championship, the Masters, the Tour Championship, and even clinching Olympic gold in Paris, Scheffler’s game elevated after he ditched his traditional blade putter for a Taylormade Spider mallet.

The change was spurred by a suggestion from McIlroy, who shared his own journey with putting challenges. “I’ve certainly been through my fair share of putting woes over the years, and I finally feel like I’ve broken through and become a pretty consistent putter,” McIlroy reflected back in February.

“For me, going to a mallet was a big change. I really persisted with the blade putter for a long time, but I just feel like your stroke has to be so perfect to start the ball on line, where the mallet just gives you a little bit more margin for error. So, I’d love to see Scottie try a mallet.

“But selfishly for me, Scottie does everything else so well that he’s given the rest of us a chance.” Just weeks later, Scheffler decided to follow McIlroy’s advice on using a putter, switching to a mallet for the Players Championship.

This move led him to secure his second consecutive win at the PGA Tour’s flagship event, reports the Mirror. Scheffler’s season then skyrocketed, with his crowning achievement being his victory at the Masters just a month after his Players triumph.

McIlroy might have had second thoughts about his advice to the world No. 1, but he’ll be rooting for Scheffler’s hot streak to continue when they team up for ‘The Showdown’ next week.

Scheffler won the Masters for the second time in April ( Image: (Image: Getty))

McIlroy and Scheffler will join forces to challenge their biggest LIV Golf competitors, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau. This match offers fans a unique opportunity to see some of golf’s top players outside of the four major championships.

“I don’t know if it was to spur things with everything that went on, it was really about us taking this into our own hands a little bit and do something outside of either tour to not only give back to the fans, but to show them or at least let them know we’re trying,” McIlroy commented on the upcoming matchplay clash in Las Vegas.

““We’re trying to bring these players together, and the more opportunities we have to do that, the better. Does it highlight the fact we’re not playing together all the time? Yes. But at least we’re making the effort to try to bring the best together more often. If we can start by doing something like this, that’s only a positive.”