McIlroy shot eight-over par to finish 66th overall at last week’s FedEx St Jude Championship in Memphis and felt “progress from where I was last week would be a win for me” as he prepared for the BMW Championship.
World number one Scottie Scheffler was in much better form with a runaway win, which brought his career earnings to $119,964,411 (£88,187) – just behind record holder Tiger Woods on $120,999,166 (£88,950).
However, the 30-year-old American is refusing to equate financial rewards with his overall standing in relation to 15-time Major champion Woods, insisting that “has a lot to do with the purses” and “I’m not really too close to him in terms of career wins”.
Scheffler’s win in St Louis was his 21st on the PGA Tour, while Woods – who has been sidelined by injuries and operations since missing the cut at The Open in July 2024 – has triumphed on 82 occasions.
“Tiger did a lot for the game of golf and he put us in a position where we’re able to earn some pretty good stuff financially, so that’s something we’re very grateful for,” Scheffler said.
“Tiger’s contributions to the game, when you look at where the purses were at before he came out on tour to where they’re at now is a pretty stark difference and we’re very thankful for his contributions to the game and hopefully we’ll see him back out here competing again soon.
“What, am I like a fourth of the way there? Something like that.”