Tommy Fleetwood gives honest answer on Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy comparisons

During his pre-tournament press conference in Dubai, Fleetwood spoke openly about his ambition to close the gap on Scheffler and McIlroy this season.

Still, the 34-year-old was clear that he still has work to do before reaching their level.

“I would love to [challenge them]. There is a clear gap; those two guys are definitely the best golfers in the world,” he began by saying.

“I’m just one of the players in the pack behind that has some catching up to do there. Look at every aspect of my game, where I can improve, where I can pick up the smallest amount of shots on those guys. But it’s an amazing challenge, if you think of it like that…

“Challenging the top two players in the world, I’m not going to say that that’s something that I’m not focused on and not interested in. Of course you are, and you want to see where you can get to, but that’s a long road ahead. That’s not going to happen next week or in a couple of months.

“So I have to really just stick in, work on my game. I think it’s an amazing opportunity. I really think Scottie and Rory already are, but definitely when we look back at this time, going to be very high up there in the greatest players of all time.

“To be the next guy at this current time, that could change next week or in a month, whatever that may be. I just think it’s very, very cool and very special, and I just love the fact that I am sort of in the mix.”

Tommy Fleetwood looks back on win over Rory McIlroy at 2024 Dubai Invitational

While Fleetwood may not be quite at the level of Scheffler and McIlroy, he has managed to come out on top against them a few times.

One of those instances was in the 2024 Dubai Invitational, where he edged out the Northern Irishman by a single shot to take the title.

Fleetwood spoke about what that victory meant to him and how much he enjoyed competing against his Ryder Cup teammate.

He stated: “I played really well here last year, two years ago, even. I enjoyed playing with Rory in that last round. Any time you get to test yourself against one of the greatest of all time is always a lot of fun.

“It’s a great finish. I think it was a good reminder that anything can happen, that you just have to stick in. I felt like I had control of the tournament on the back nine, and Rory came through.

“Tristan had an amazing round, and things went my way. It was just a reminder that you have to keep going and play until the very end. And winning is always cool. I had the family there. It was amazing.”