“I feel like I can beat Scottie Scheffler,” said confident Xander Schauffele after finishing runner-up at the PGA Tour’s flagship event, THE PLAYERS Championship. At the start of the 2024 season, it looked impossible to beat Scheffler. He secured four victories in just five weeks, including a win at the Masters.

Now after the conclusion of the men’s golf tournament at the Paris Olympics, the #1 has a gold medal to his name as well, and that too at his Olympic debut. It was already heartbreaking for Schauffele, as he was unable to defend his gold medal at the Olympics. But does this mean that the world #2 will be ignored for the prestigious accolade?

Xander Schauffele vs. Scottie Scheffler: Is the ‘Player of the Year’ battle nearing its end?

The Jack Nicklaus POY award considers the golfer’s performance throughout the season. The number of cuts made, scoring average, top-10 finishes, and major tournament performance also play a huge role. After Schauffele claimed two major titles in a single season, the debate for the Player of the Year award started heating up. However, Scottie Scheffler‘s Olympic triumph has further fueled the debate.

Scheffler has now had seven wins to his name in the season so far. Yes, Xander Schauffele may not have as many victories as the #1, but his two major wins within two months make him a worthy contender. Aside from two victories, he also had a good run in the rest of the majors as well. The 30-year-old finished eighth at the Masters and T7 at the US Open. Thanks to all that, he has now played in 18 events without missing a single cut.

In the case of Scottie Scheffler, he finished eighth at the PGA Championship and T7 at the Open. Although he barely made the cut at the US Open and finished T41, the golfer has seven victories and has finished in the top 10 fourteen times out of sixteen PGA Tour events, which cannot be ignored. However, Schauffele was still in the race thanks to the weight of the major victories, but the Olympics are a different story. It is the purest form of competition since the golfers aren’t playing for money but for their country instead.

Explaining similar thoughts Rory McIlroy also recently said, “I think with how much of a sh*t show the game of golf is right now, and you think about the two tournaments that might be the purest form of competition in our sport, we don’t play for money in them,” while also taking the Ryder Cup into account. Considering all that, Scheffler has a chance to edge past Schauffele now. While the debate for the Player of the Year award continues, what has Scheffler to say about it?

Scottie Scheffler is trying “not to think about it”

Two days before the nail-biting golf showdown at Le Golf National, Scheffler was asked about his thoughts on the Player of the Year award. As a response, the 28-year-old has a very respectful and straight answer: “I try not to think about it. I’ve had a pretty good year, and Xander has had a pretty good year as well,” said the gold medalist. While further talking about it, Scottie Scheffler also added, “It’s for people to vote on; I’m proud of the year that I’ve had and the consistent results,” and distanced himself from the debate.

Although Scheffler won the POY award for the 2022–23 season, he has now distanced himself from the debate. It’s true that he currently has the edge, but the season is not over yet. Both golfers are now set to play in the FedEx Cup playoffs, where the top golfers of the season face off and are targeting the championship. Who do you think will win the Player of the Year award this time?