Scottie Scheffler speaks out after disagreement with Rory McIlroy before PGA Championship

Scottie Scheffler has revealed how he spent his time off after preparing for the PGA Championship very differently from Rory McIlroy. The top two players took contrasting approaches as they got ready for the second major of the year - showing they clearly disagree on how best to prepare for the biggest tournaments. Having defended his Masters crown, McIlroy took some time off before taking part in last weekend's Truist Championship. The Northern Irishman is a fan of getting tournament golf in just before a major, saying last year: "I really like playing the week before." That is in stark contrast to Scheffler, who has openly admitted he isn't a fan of playing competitively so close to a major. So what did the world number one get up to while McIlroy and many of his other rivals were battling it out at the Triust? "I think a little bit of that is just studying, getting ready for the golf course and just making sure… I'm just kind of going through my checkpoints. JOIN US ON FACEBOOK! All the best sports news and much more on our dedicated Facebook page "I had played some pretty decent golf over the few weeks leading up," he said. "So sometimes if my game feels like it's in a pretty good spot, a lot of it is checking the boxes and making sure things feel the way they should feel heading into a tournament like this. "There's other times throughout the year where maybe I don't feel as good with where my swing's at, and maybe not hole a lot of putts. But overall, the last few weeks I've played some nice golf. "So a lot of it was make sure I got rest, made sure I checked the boxes, and made sure things feel the way I want them to feel heading into a major championship. And just get the mind right to come out here and play." The studying appears to have paid off as Scheffler ended round one at the PGA Championship with a share of the lead. He was one of the last groups out on a day where low scoring had proved elusive. Scheffler ended it three under, part of a seven-way group at the top of a congested leaderboard that featured German Martin Kaymer, 12 years on from his last of two major wins. A record 33 players are within two shots of the lead, eclipsing the previous high of 28 at the 1993 Open, including 12 major champions. That list didn't include McIlroy, who endured a nightmare opening round, which left him seven shots off the lead and needing a strong second round just to make the weekend. McIlroy, bidding to win back-to-back majors and a seventh overall, finished his round with four successive bogeys and five out of the last six as wayward tee shots decimated his card to leave him four over.