Rory McIlroy shows true colors with Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele admission

Despite his third-place standing in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), Rory McIlroy has been modest about his 2024 campaign. He trails behind Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele , who hold the first and second spots.

McIlroy started the year strong with a victory at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic on the DP World Tour in January. He also added two PGA Tour titles to his resume this year, winning the Wells Fargo Championship and the Zurich Classic alongside Shane Lowry.

However, being a man of high standards, McIlroy acknowledges that he hasn't been at his peak performance.

• Rory McIlroy sends ominous LIV Golf warning to PGA Tour chiefs as 'frustration' tells

• Jon Rahm breaks silence on LIV Golf U-turn claim with furious retort

Scheffler has emerged as the dominant force in 2024, clinching six victories on the PGA Tour, including the Masters, and an Olympic gold medal.

Schauffele, another American golfer, has also been in top form over the past year. After a long wait, he became a major champion, winning two majors within months.

He first secured the PGA Championship in May and just two months later, Schauffele was back on the podium, this time winning the Open Championship at Royal Troon, beating Justin Rose. As the season finale at the Tour Championship approaches, McIlroy finds himself starting four shots behind Schauffele and six behind Scheffler due to the staggered strokes system.

Despite being the closest golfer in the rankings to the leading pair, four-time major winner McIlroy feels a long way off at East Lake. "You know, seeing what Scottie [Scheffler] and Xander [Schauffele] have done this year - I'm third in the world rankings, but I feel like a distant third. You know, they've had great years, and I look at my year compared to them and, I mean, it doesn't compare."

McIlroy failed to make any real ground on the top of the leaderboard in Thursday's opening round in Atlanta, carding a two-under-par 69 with four birdies and two bogeys.

Scheffler has taken full advantage of his lead though, bursting away from the pack. The world No. 1 had been critical of the FedEx Cup finale system previously, with his 25-week lead at the top of the standings merited with a single one-shot advantage.

In typical Scheffler fashion however he did the talking with his golf game, carding a superb six-under 65 on day one, despite starting his round with a bogey to leave him seven shots clear of Schauffele.

"I wasn't thinking about the lead out there today," Scheffler said post-round. ""There's no reason to. It's the first day of the tournament. It's 72 holes. It's a long time out there to be playing with a lead or whatever it is. I was just focused on staying in my own world and continuing to just try to execute."