ATLANTA – Ever since Tiger Woods mentioned “Hi there, world” in 1996, any historic context has grow to be more and more tough. Not solely are comparisons to Woods blatantly unfair however they nearly all the time fall flat.
There have been outliers. Jordan Spieth in 2015 when he gained 5 instances together with the Masters and U.S. Open, together with top-5 finishes on the yr’s different two Grand Slam stops, was particular. Rory McIlroy in 2012 with 4 Tour tilts, a serious (PGA Championship) and two of that season’s 4 post-season stops was additionally spectacular.
However as spectacular as these campaigns had been, neither participant was capable of maintain that Tiger-like efficiency. McIlroy went winless on Tour in ’13 and Spieth gained a complete of 5 instances over his subsequent 5 years following that ’15 season.
If comparisons to Woods are zero-sum video games it’s, to be honest, the one benchmark for what Scottie Scheffler achieved this season.
Scheffler’s season swansong on the Tour Championship, a four-stroke romp that’s barely deceptive given the “foolish” (his phrase) starting-strokes format and the way shut the race for the circuit’s $25 million payday was halfway by way of Sunday’s ultimate spherical, was his seventh victory of the season. The final participant to win seven instances on Tour in a single season was Woods in 2007.
In actual fact, solely Woods (’07, ’06, ’00 and 1999) and Vijay Singh (2004) have gained seven or extra occasions on Tour since 1983. And solely Woods spent extra time in his profession at No. 1 within the FedExCup standings (85) than Scheffler (50).
Then there’s the historic marks that Woods didn’t obtain, together with Scheffler changing into the primary participant to win a serious, The Gamers and the FedExCup in the identical season. Scheffler additionally set a brand new mark for earnings with a formidable $62 million in complete compensation, together with his (unofficial) $25 million FedExCup and $8 million Comcast Enterprise Tour High 10 bonuses. It’s price noting amid skilled golf’s arm race that Scheffler’s complete on-course revenue, together with these two well-earned bonuses, is greater than any NFL quarterback will make this season in common base wage.
However it’s Scheffler’s sustained brilliance and his unmatched consistency that places him alongside Woods. Over the past three seasons he’s gained 13 instances beginning along with his breakthrough Tour victory on the 2022 WM Phoenix Open.
“His consistency, his perspective, I really feel like he simply kind of brings the identical demeanor to the course each single day, it doesn’t matter what place on the leaderboard he’s in,” McIlroy mentioned of Scheffler. “He’s simply wonderful to look at, the best way he manages himself across the golf course. Yeah, we’ll look again on 2024 and it’s clearly among the best particular person years {that a} participant has had for a very long time.”
That demeanor was examined halfway by way of the ultimate spherical at East Lake with a tee shot at No. 7 that bounced simply wanting the out-of-bounds marker (bogey) and a shanked shot from the bunker at No. 8 (bogey) that reduce his as soon as commanding lead over Collin Morikawa to only two strokes. But he by no means regarded flustered or overwhelmed.
He adopted these snafus with three consecutive birdies and an eagle on the 14th gap that felt like an announcement, an exclamation level on a season that’s been equal elements chic and surreal.
“I used to be positively pissed off. I’ve been enjoying actually stable golf the remainder of the week. I simply occurred to have two dangerous holes in a row, mainly,” mentioned Scheffler, who closed with a 67 for a 30-under complete that included (insert asterisk) his 10-under starting-strokes benefit. “[Caddie Ted Scott] did an excellent job of reminding me that we’re nonetheless accountable for the event, I’m nonetheless enjoying nice, simply get out and get again to work, mainly, is the speech he sort gave me, is simply get again to work, and that’s what we did.”
Each step of Scheffler’s climb to dominance, it’s been Woods who has been the usual, with apologies to Scheffler’s contemporizes. Even the metrics that talk to the artwork of greatness are dominated by Woods, initially, after which Scheffler. Final yr, Scheffler’s strokes gained: tee to inexperienced complete (2.614) was second solely to Woods’ 2006 season (2.982). And this yr, Scheffler’s 2.456 strokes gained: tee to inexperienced mark is sort of a full shot higher than second place (Xander Schauffele).
“I believe that’s honest. I believe all of the stats again that up. I believe that the outcomes again it up,” mentioned Adam Scott when requested if he’d evaluate Scheffler’s dominance to Woods’. “It’s been fairly unimaginable, from actually beginning at Bay Hill, I suppose. I believe it’s on par with these nice years of Tiger’s. I believe it’s very onerous right this moment for anybody to separate themselves as a lot as Scottie has. I don’t suppose we’ve seen that in a very long time. I believe it’s tougher to do it right this moment.”
Though Woods’ biggest moments are imprinted within the material of his profession — suppose the chip-in at No. 16 throughout the 2005 Masters or the 12-footer on the 72nd gap to drive a playoff on the 2008 U.S. Open — most of his 82 PGA Tour victories had been gained with a model of golf that Stewart Cink as soon as referred to as “forestall protection.” Scheffler’s sport is equally machine-like.
Whereas there was no scarcity of spotlight moments in Scheffler’s profession — his bounce-back birdies beginning at No. 9 Sunday at East Lake shifting onto that listing — his model of golf feels extra relentless than flashy.
“I believe the one factor I’ve all the time admired about Scottie is the quantity of bogey-free rounds he shoots,” McIlroy mentioned. “In the event you simply return during the last two, three years and also you take a look at what number of rounds he shoots that he’ll shoot like 4 below par, no bogeys, doesn’t look spectacular in any respect, but it surely’s simply so stable, doesn’t actually put himself out of place. While you don’t make a ton of bogeys, the sector has obtained to do one thing actually particular to maintain up.”
There are even similarities with how the 2 compartmentalize off-course distractions, however then Scheffler hasn’t had almost as a lot expertise with disaster administration as Woods. Though the felony cost for assaulting a police officer on Day 2 at this yr’s PGA Championship was in the end dropped, Scheffler’s second-round 66 after spending the morning in a cell and his final tie for eighth at Valhalla, is a testomony to his resilience.
At 28, Scheffler nonetheless has loads of floor to cowl if he’s going to really rival Woods’ many years of dominance and even after three stellar seasons there will probably be those that scoff at any comparisons between the 2. Maybe it’s too quickly or too small of a pattern dimension. Or maybe we’re seeing the start of one thing really particular.
