Scottie Scheffler will strive to create history, but that might crush the hopes and dreams of Rory McIlroy once again. The Northern Irish golfer has consistently been ranked second for a while now, and if Scheffler wins his seventh career title, the rankings will stay the same as McIlroy will not be present to compete for the No. 1 spot in the next PGA Tour event.

Among the player’s field, the 24x PGA Tour winner is not playing alongside another legendary golfer, Tiger Woods. The last time Mr. T played was in December. A few weeks after his comeback, seeing no Woods at the Scottsdale course would surely give the golf world a tinge of disappointment.

Will Scottie Scheffler write history at the Phoenix Open? 

If Scottie Scheffler does win the WM Phoenix Open again, he will become the first golfer in the last 13 years of PGA Tour history to achieve the feat of back-to-back victories at an event. The WM Open has been a winning ground for world number one for quite some time now. He clinched his maiden victory on the PGA Tour at the Phoenix Open in 2022.

The next season, the champ was a four-time PGA Tour winner and was contending for his fifth in the league at the TPC Scottsdale Stadium Course. Eventually, Scheffler won the 2023 Phoenix Open by beating Nick Taylor with two strokes. The New Jersey native went on to amass six titles and also claimed the world no. 1 rank on OWGR. Scheffler has been ranked first for many weeks now and has not left the seat for any.

On the contrary, the Irishman is still trying to achieve what Scheffler has. Rory McIlroy has won many events in his career, but being the world no. 1 for more than four weeks has been a goal he has yet to fulfill. The world No. 2 will be absent from the Arizona-based event, while Scheffler will aim for his three-peat victory after Steve Stricker (2009-2011 John Deere Classic). The second event for McIlroy on the PGA Tour will be the Genesis Invitational, hosted by Tiger Woods.

The Riviera GC would be the second stop for McIlroy but the season opener for the host. The 82-time PGA Tour winner has missed the last five events of the PGA Tour’s 2024 season, abiding by his one-event-per-month schedule. As a result, no Woods would be seen at Scottsdale, though next week will be bigger for the legendary golfer.

Will Tiger Woods unveil his next golfing chapter at the Genesis Invitational?

Tiger Woods started his 2023 season late as he made a comeback at the Hero World Challenge. He later played in the PNC Championship alongside his son and since then, the player has been resting. Though he grabbed the headlines again in early January news, the iconic Nike-Woods relationship had ended. At that time, while closing the Nike book, the 15x major championship hinted at the next chapter for him.

Read More: Tiger Woods Aims to Design a New Jersey ‘Mike Trout’ Masterpiece Despite Disheartening $19M Setback

The next chapter will be disclosed at the Riviera Gold Course. According to the reports, Woods will be holding a press conference on Monday of Invitational Week. The Jupiter resident will unveil his new clothing line. Per the rumors, it is probably with TaylorMade, as the golfing giant applied for a Sunday Red trademark a few days ago. What will the next chapter of Woods contain and will it be as famous as his past partnership?

Watch This Story | ‘Pretty Trash’: Golf World Erupt in Fury as Tiger Woods’ Dream Project Gets Delivered a Harsh Reality Check