AUGUSTA, Georgia – Think if Scottie Scheffler hadn’t misread that 5-foot birdie putt that kept him out of the playoffs at the Houston Open.
Imagine him wearing that size 14 green Masters jacket as the winner of his last four tournaments. The comparisons with Tiger Woods may be greater.
Even now, some restraint is necessary.
For starters, no one mentioned the possibility of a Grand Slam at Scheffler’s Sunday night press conference at Augusta National. It was like that with Woods, and with Jack Nicklaus before him, whenever they won the Masters (at least when they were in their 20s and 30s).
BetMGM Sportsbook already has Scheffler listed at +450 for the PGA Championship, with Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy next at +1200. Scheffler has the same odds for the US Open, slightly higher (+600) for the British Open at Royal Troon. That’s not unusual for a guy who’s been No. 1 in the world for the past 11 months.
But as good as Scheffler has played, he still has a lot to prove.
Consider this: The two previous Masters champions, Rahm in 2023 and Scheffler in 2022, did not win again the rest of the year after winning the Masters.
Scheffler has 10 wins worldwide, all but one of which came in February, March and April. The exception is the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas last December, which is easy to overlook due to the 20-player field. Gets points in the world rankings, but does not count as an official on any world tour.
Comparisons to Woods stem from several metrics.
The Official World Golf Ranking formula has changed over the years, but it’s safe to say the gap between Scheffler and the rest of golf is the biggest since Woods’ heyday. The average point difference between Scheffler and McIlroy in second place is about the same as that between McIlroy and Rasmus Hojgaard in 83rd place.
Scheffler has not had a round over par since Aug. 26, the third round of the Tour Championship. Each tournament brings him closer to Woods’ impressive mark of 52 consecutive rounds with par or better from May 2000 through the end of January 2001. That streak included three majors and nine wins.
But mainly it’s control from tee to green. Their swings are nothing like each other, just the result of blows. As much as Woods was known for his power and putting, his iron play was second to none. This is where Scheffler stands out.
And so it’s easy to get them into the same conversation. Scheffler joined Woods as the only players to win both the Players Championship and the Masters in the same year. Only three players younger than Scheffler (27) have won two Masters – Woods, Nicklaus and Seve Ballesteros.
Is he the next Woods? That would be miles away and that only applies to golf.
The Masters was Scheffler’s 109th start since he began his rookie season on the PGA Tour. His nine victories include two consecutive Masters and The Players Championship. The other five wins were against some of the strongest fields.
In 109 matches since Woods turned pro, he has won 31 times, including seven majors and the career Grand Slam.
For now, it’s not a fair fight.
And there is little chance that Scheffler or anyone else will be able to match the worldwide appeal of Woods, a dynamic player and personality who brought a new audience to the sport and was personally responsible for a surge in TV ratings and prize money. He made everyone rich.
What Scheffler brings to golf is a dominant player that has been missing due to the depth of talent and defections to the Saudi riches of LIV Golf.
Dominance is measured by wins, majors, world rankings and questions asked of other players. During the early stages of Tigermania, no player could leave an interview without being asked about Woods.
And so it was Tuesday morning for British Open champion Brian Harman. One reporter said that, looking from the outside, it appeared that the distance between Scheffler and everyone else had grown.
“It looks that way from the inside, too,” Harman replied.
“And I’m sure the guys felt the same way when Tiger was winning every tournament he stepped foot in,” he said. “It seems like now if Scottie shows up with anything above a ‘B’ game, he’s probably going to be right there.”
Scheffler made it all look easy on the difficult Bay Hill course by winning by five. And then he recovered from five shots behind at The Players — with his neck so sore he was considering withdrawing in the second round — and won with a closing 64, the winner’s lowest final round at TPC Sawgrass.
And with all the expectations on him and the best odds since – you guessed it, Woods – he made seven birdies in the final round of the Masters to win by four.
Since the world rankings began in 1986, only four players have ranked number one in the world and won the Masters – Ian Woosnam and Fred Couples, Woods and Scheffler. The last two are the only players to have done it twice.
Scheffler and Woods, once again mentioned in the same context.
Scheffler won this. That doesn’t make him the same as Woods, not even close. But the mere fact that it is mentioned in the same conversation is a tribute to both.
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AP Golf:
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