Over the years so many different players have dominated golf in a way that is quite different to the supremacy we see in other sports. Tennis’s big three – Novak Djokovic, Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer – won almost every Grand Slam over a period of more than a decade. In football, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo almost made the Ballon d’Or a private duopoly for a dozen seasons from 2008 onwards.
In golf, however, the world number one spot has generally changed hands very frequently. Tiger Woods was hugely dominant from the late 1990s up until the end of 2010, being top dog for various extended periods, including 41 weeks from June 1998, 264 weeks from August 1999 and then a mammoth 281 weeks up until October 2010.
In fact, from the start of the rankings in 1986 up until Tiger’s record 281-week stint at number one, there were just 12 different players who made it to the pinnacle of the game. However, since Lee Westwood eclipsed golf’s modern-day GOAT, there have been 13. And the number one spot has changed hands far more frequently too.
But things look set to change with that lucky-for-some 13th new number one since October 2010. Scottie Scheffler became the 25th player to top the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) on the 27th of March 2022, taking the baton from Jon Rahm. In his first spell at number one the American was there for 30 weeks. Since then he has traded top spot a few times with Rory McIlroy and Rahm, but the 2024 US Masters champ has now been OWGR numero uno for almost a full 12 months.
After a recent spell of incredible form, even by his own crazy standards, the man from Ridgewood, New Jersey, has taken a seemingly unassailable lead at the top of the rankings. Right now, his advantage over second-placed McIlroy is greater than that which Rory enjoys over the world number 788, a certain Tiger Woods! In fact, with Scheffler currently boasting more than double the Northern Irishman’s ranking points, his lead over the world number two is bigger than the lead McIlroy has over anyone at all, no matter how far down the OWGR list you go!
So, whilst asking if Scheffler is unstoppable might well sound a little hyperbolic… is he?
How Did Scheffler Rise to Top Spot?
Back in 2018, Scheffler was way down in 1,589 in the rankings, a significant slip, having ended 2014 at 1,131 despite playing just two events at a time when he was ranked the best junior golfer in the US. Scheffler, who was born in 1996, played college golf between 2014 and 2018 and thrived, helping the University of Texas to great golfing success.
He turned pro in 2018 and was named the Korn Ferry Player of the Year (and also Rookie of the Year) in 2019, following in the footsteps of players such as Tom Lehman, Stewart Cink, Zach Johnson and Jimmy Walker. That earned him full playing rights for the 2020 PGA Tour and having ended 2019 ranked 66th in the world, solid results in his first full year on tour saw him move up to 31st.
2021 saw more improvement and although he did not win on the PGA Tour, he showed his class and potential by finishing tied 18th at the US Masters and then no worse than tied eighth at each of the other three majors that year.
2022 was truly a breakthrough year for Scheffler though, as he won the US Masters, his first WGC event, as well as the Phoenix Open and the Arnold Palmer. His fine spring form saw him ascend to number one in the world for the first time and he initially stayed there for 30 weeks, ending the year second.
2023 saw him defend his Phoenix title and win The Players, the unofficial fifth major which boasts serious ranking points. Top 10 finishes in the year’s first three majors were more than enough to see him move back to the top spot, which he did following his second-place finish at the USPGA Championship in May.
2024 Sees Scottie Soar to Next Level
If 2022 and 2023 were good, it is 2024 that has really seen the US ace cement his spot as number one and suggest he could prove to be one of the game’s true greats. He won four times in 2022, and thrice the year after, but already has four wins in 2024. Moreover, from 10 starts this year, only once has he finished outside the top 10, with six top threes!
And his wins have not just been any old victories either, as he has claimed his second success at each of the Arnold Palmer, the Players and the Masters, winning the RBC Heritage the week after claiming his second major. His win at Sawgrass also made him the first player ever to land back-to-back Players Championships and right now the man from New Jersey looks as close to unstoppable as any player has since Tiger was in his pomp.
What Makes Scheffler so Good?
For a long time it has been believed that if Rory produces his best golf then nobody around can match him. That is no longer the case now, with Scheffler setting the standard and, what’s more, he seems able to deliver his A-game with far greater regularity than the Northern Irish world number two.
One of his big strengths is the mental side of the game and through his strong Christian faith, he seems to have been able to develop the perfect mix of intense focus, whilst acknowledging that the game doesn’t really matter. During his second US Masters win he made it clear that he was prepared to leave no matter what the situation should his wife go into labour and it seems his ability to easily prioritise the truly important things in life makes him a formidable golfer.
Of course, his actual game is pretty good too! His ball striking is top notch and his driving is incredibly accurate, meaning he leads the field in a host of “strokes gained” categories. His putting has been touted as a weakness but really that is only in comparison to his raging excellence from tee to green. With Scheffler now possessing almost supreme confidence, we predict he will claim more majors in 2024 and, with him not turning 28 years old until June 2024, he has a decent chance of becoming the first player since Tiger to win seven or more overall.