Despite FedEx Dominance, Scottie Scheffler Finds Himself in a Tricky Spot Amid Fans: “He’s Not Tiger [Woods]”

It seems each day we have new evidence of Scottie Scheffler‘s dominance. The current world no. 1 stands atop the FedEx Cup points list all alone, without a likelihood of anyone topping him. Scheffler has earned 5,768 points en route to six victories and a further 9 top-10s. 

Standing behind him is Xander Schauffele. The 2024 PGA Championship winner has scored 3,257 points courtesy of his major win and a further 10 top-10s. The difference is a staggering 2,511 points. No one has taken a lead this enormous since 2009. 

Per Golf Bet, Scheffler’s closest competitor was Jordan Spieth in his historic 2014–15 campaign (1,213 points). Scheffler’s Texas neighbor won five times that season, with four runner-ups and six further top-10s. Tiger Woods, in 2013, took a 416-point lead thanks to five wins, one runner-up, and two additional top-10s.

There is some caveat, however. Scheffler’s jaw-dropping feat has come courtesy of spectacular performance in the Signature events. The 28-year-old has won four of the last five Signature events. He didn’t tee off at the Wells Fargo Championship. His worst finish in the $20 million purse events was the T10 at the Genesis Invitational.

These four titles added 2800 points to his tally. Furthermore, the PLAYERS Championship victory also rewarded him with 750 points. These five victories alone would’ve put him ahead of the pack. 

Notably, among other records, Scheffler became the first player since Arnold Palmer in 1962 to win four times before July. The Texas resident is also the only fourth different player in the last four decades to win six times in a calendar year. Unsurprisingly, the two-time major winner has attracted comparison with Tiger Woods. But is the current world No. 1 as good as the former?

Fans are reluctant to crown Scottie Scheffler ahead of Woods

How does Scheffler’s season stand against Woods in 2000? Both won six times in their first 15 starts. But Scheffler has 40 rounds in the 60s, compared to Woods’s 32. The former’s scoring average of 67.8 is almost a stroke better than Woods’s 68.7, as Jamie Kennedy of Golf Digest shared on X (formerly Twitter). Scheffler has accrued 583 world ranking points vis-à-vis Woods’s 532 in the first six months. 

Woods’s 2000 campaign, with three major seasons, still remains the gold standard, obviously. Some on the Internet believe the current world no.1 has yet to match that. Scheffler could at best win two majors compared to Woods’s three. Moreover, the 48-year-old won the U.S. Open by 15 strokes and the Open Championship by 8, effectively demolishing the field. One user commented, “He’s not Tiger, likely he won’t be, but 2024 is Tiger good.”

Another point to factor in is that a chunk of the world’s best now plies their trade in LIV Golf. It wasn’t the case in Woods’s era. However, netizens are divided on how much impact that could’ve made. 

Would a Bryson DeChambeau in his current form, have snatched a few titles from Scheffler’s hands? Or, if Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, and the like were still on the PGA Tour, would it have made a difference in the outcome?  Some believe yes. 

“I can’t believe his lead is that large over Koepka, DeChambeau and Rahm. Oh wait,” one of them sarcastically wrote. “Easy with the weak PGAT fields each week,” another concurred. Others, though, are not willing to give LIV Golfers so much weight. 

Notably, Talor Gooch said in April, that without the top LIV Golfers in Augusta, a Masters victory for Rory McIlroy would carry an asterisk. Dragging Gooch into the conversation, one user quipped, “You’re missing top golfers these days with LIV. All your stats should come with an asterisk.”

For Jordan Spieth, however, this is a massive fall from grace. It’s been more than two years since the former Masters champion won on Tour. From 17 events this season, the 30-year-old broke into the top 10 only three times. One user wondered, “Why was Speith better as 18 year old then he is now?” Perhaps, his form has something to do with his recurring wrist injury. 

Nevertheless, as the second half of the season kicks in, it would be interesting to see if Scottie Scheffler can keep the momentum going. The world No. 1 has a shot at one-upping Woods’s nine titles in a season. On top of that, come August, he can add a gold medal at the Olympics to his glittering resume.