Prime Tiger Woods vs Scottie Scheffler: Despite Winning the Money Game, Is World No.1 Redefining Golf Like the 15x Major Champion?

So, Scottie Scheffler has surpassed Tiger Woods. Well, in a way. With the Travelers triumph, the current world no. 1 netted his sixth tile before July. He became the first since Tiger Woods to achieve six victories in a calendar year. And it was the first since Arnold Palmer to do it before July. Something even Woods couldn’t do. 

Scheffler’s pocket is getting fatter with each passing week. The 28-year-old has already broken the record for the highest earnings in a calendar year. His sixth victory in 15 starts has resulted in staggering stats. They are closer than you think, but is the current world no. 1 better than the former, as some suggest?

Tiger Woods vs. Scottie Scheffler: Golf on spreadsheets

Based solely on the prism stats, Scottie Scheffler’s 2024 season is undeniably comparable to Tiger Woods’s peak. The nine-time-winning 2000 campaign remains the unquestionable gold standard. And, compared to Scheffler, the 15-time major winner is a little behind in some areas. 

While both won six times in their first 15 starts, Scheffler has 10 more rounds in the 60s than Woods’s 30. Compared to his 13 top-10s, Woods had 12. Moreover, Scheffler’s 583 world ranking points are 51 better than Woods’s. Scheffler’s FedEx Cup lead this season, of a whopping 2000+ points, is the best since 2009. 

There are more, of course. But Woods’s total strokes gained are far better than Scheffler’s. The 15-time major champion set a record victory margin at the 2000 U.S. Open, beating the next best, Ernie Els, by 15 shots. Woods was the only player to break par at 12 under. At the Open Championship, Woods bettered Thomas Bjorn by eight shots. So, what gives?

The LIV variable needs to be factored in the case of Scottie Scheffler

The statistics game can favor both, depending on the dataset we are looking at. There are a few things to consider, however. Firstly, the field is arguably tougher than what Woods faced in the 2000s. In Scheffler’s defense, his four Signature Events triumph means he has bested the best field that the PGA Tour could offer. And that goes for THE PLAYERS Championship as well. 

Ironically, the signature events also point to the names missing from the field. The exodus of top draws like Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Cameron Smith, and Joaquin Niemann does water down the PGA Tour field. Even in the case of signature events.

It’s impossible to predict how many titles Scheffler would’ve won with all the top players in the field. In the absence of that, majors remain the only place where the bigwigs across the PGA Tour and LIV Golf face each other. It can be argued that the field strength evens out between Woods and Scheffler, neither having an advantage.

Fair enough. But Woods has won six times in a calendar year twice. He has bettered that four times in his career: in 2007, winning seven, in 1999 and 2006, winning eight, and in 2000, netting nine titles. The sheer longevity of this streak still puts him ahead of most. 

Scheffler needs to finish this season at a highwater mark to be on par with Woods’s 2000 campaign. And then he needs to repeat that feat or come close to it a couple of times to be comparable with the 48-year-old. Many have tried, including Scheffler’s PGA Tour colleagues, but the flame died soon after.

Scheffler’s dominance isn’t unprecedented

A two-year title drought can put you into oblivion, and that has been the case with Jordan Spieth. The young prodigy took the PGA Tour by storm in 2014–15. Spieth won five times that season and knocked off two majors. In addition to that, the 13-time PGA Tour winner had four runner-up finishes, one of which came at the PGA Championship. 

In the very same season, Jason Day netted five titles as well. The former world No. 1 also won the PGA Championship, beating Spieth by three strokes. Interestingly, they tied for fourth place in the 2015 Open Championship.

Next season, Justin Thomas went on a rampage, winning five titles, including his first major at the PGA Championship. Thomas, like Spieth and Day, is going through a career slump that seems to erase their dominance from public memory. Let’s also not forget that Vijay Singh won nine times in 2004, including one major. 

Arguably, Scheffler has shown better consistency than any of his peers did at their peak. Only twice has he finished outside the top-10 in his 15 starts. And there are another five tournaments where he is expected to tee off. In the words of legendary Butch Harmon, “He’s [Scottie Scheffler] got to do it for 19 more years [to match Woods], but right now, who says he can’t?” Scottie Scheffler sure looks to be the future king of golf, but his coronation will have to wait a couple more years.