As of today, July 16, it’s been exactly 705 days since Scottie Scheffler last missed a cut. The phrase ‘MC’ can be found only 19 times in his resume, which has 126 events. At the U.S. Open, it came within the boundaries of possibility. However, the 28-year-old managed to book a weekend spot in the last minute.

What if it happens in the Open Championship? Will he have to concede the world no. 1 status? It’s a bold thought to entertain given his odds (+500). But we did, and it gave us a staggering verdict that only reinforced the mind-blowing dominance of the world no.1.

Scheffler has accrued 785.383 points from his 44 outings that are taken into account for OWGR consideration. His average points, which determine the final ranking, are 17.8496. The second-best golfer in the world, Rory McIlroy, has accumulated 9.1949 average points, about half of the American. 

McIlroy’s total points stand at 422.968. To put this into perspective, the total point difference between Scheffler and McIlroy (362.42) is greater than the difference between McIlroy and Rikuya Hoshino, who is the 103rd-ranked golfer. 

So, the best case for a replacement on top, i.e., Scheffler missing the cut and McIlroy lifting the Claret Jug, won’t be enough to topple the current world no. 1. A major win will offer McIlroy 100 points. But even then, the Ulsterman’s average point would be 11.12 from 47 events. McIlroy will also receive a multi-win bonus, but that amounts to only 4 points. 

With the majors gone and Signature events out of the picture, the next PGA Tour events won’t have the same weightage. That means even if Scheffler misses a few more cuts and McIlroy sniffs victory a few more times, the former’s crown would still be secure. 

Last year, Lucas Glover earned 42 points for the Wyndham Championship and 56 points for his FedEx St. Jude Championship triumph. Whereas, Viktor Hovland netted 50 points for the BMW Championship and 35.29 points for the Tour Championship. 

Even in a scenario where Rory McIlroy wins all four and Scheffler is out of the picture, there won’t be any change at the top of the world ranking table. The distance will come down to 3 points (average), but it appears Scheffler’s world ranking crown is secure from any potential threat. So, what explains this staggering dominance? 

How did Scottie Scheffler build an insurmountable lead?

Scottie Scheffler was off to a slow start, which by his standard means not winning. But he rolled on to March with a mallet putter in hand and decimated the field. It’s a running joke that Scheffler’s competitors play for the second spot. And that stems from his inexplicable dominance in stronger field events. 

Per OWGR guru Nosferatu, Scheffler has earned 311.57 world ranking points from the $20 million purse events. The next best, Wyndham Clark, could only manage 146.21 points. The two-time major champion also earned 80 points for the one-shot triumph at TPC Sawgrass. 

On a side note, Scheffler has built a massive 2460-point cushion in the FedEx Cup points list. The 12-time PGA Tour winner has earned ($27,696,858) more than double what the next best, Xander Schauffele, has pocketed ($12,767,160). 

In fact, even LIV golfers who play for a $4 million winner’s payout in each event haven’t come close to Scheffler. Joaquin Niemann, who tops the money list on the PIF-funded side, has earned nearly half the amount of the world no. 1. At this point, only Scottie Scheffler can stop himself.