At the time of writing world number one Scottie Scheffler has not far off twice as many ranking points as number two on that list (Xander Schauffele) and well over double the total of number three, Rory McIlroy. Not since Tiger Woods’ best years has a player been so dominant over any sort of extended period and although he only has two majors to his name, his form since around 2021 has been remarkable.
In fact, including tying for fourth at the 2020 US PGA Championship, the US star has finished in the top 10 in 12 of the last 17 majors he has played in. That includes his two wins, plus a further four top fives. He finished 2022 as the world number two after earning four wins that year, and 12 months on was top of the pile at the end of 2023.
However, during the current season, Scheffler has really taken his game to another level and left the likes of Schauffele, Rory, Jon Rahm and all the rest playing serious catch-up. In 2024 he enjoyed a truly sensational campaign that culminated with him waltzing to victory in the season-ending Tour Championship.
He scooped a massive £19m at that event in Atlanta, a massive $25m out of the total $100m that was up for grabs. That took his total on-course earnings for the year to a record $54m, around six times as much as Jack Nicklaus earned during his entire career! This was the third successive year that Scheffler, now 28 years old, broke the record for seasonal earnings on the PGA Tour, showing just what a force he is right now.
Records Galore for Scheffler
There are so many records that the New Jersey native has set over the past few seasons but in 2024 he became the first player since Woods, in 2007, to win seven events on the PGA Tour in one season. He played 20 tournaments, his seven victories equating to a win percentage of 35%. He didn’t miss a single cut, and finished second twice and third once.
| Tournament | Position | Earnings |
|---|---|---|
| Sentry | T5th | $690,500 |
| American Express | T17th | $132,300 |
| AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am | T6th | $642,500 |
| WM Phoenix Open | T3rd | $519,200 |
| Genesis Invitational | T10th | $455,000 |
| Arnold Palmer Invitational | Winner | $4,000,000 |
| PLAYERS Championship | Winner | $4,500,000 |
| Houston Open | T2nd | $553,735 |
| Masters | Winner | $3,600,000 |
| RBC Heritage | Winner | $3,600,000 |
| PGA Championship | T8th | $521,417.50 |
| Charles Schwab Challenge | T2nd | $809,900 |
| Memorial Tournament | Winner | $4,000,000 |
| U.S. Open | T41st | $72,305 |
| Travelers Championship | Winner | $3,600,000 |
| Olympics | Winner | – |
| Open Championship | T7th | $451,833 |
| St. Jude Championship | 4th | $960,000 |
| BMW Championship | T33rd | $119,666.67 |
| TOUR Championship | Winner | $25,000,000 |
| Total | $54,228,357.17 | |
Masters Means Major Number Two
Coming into the first major of the year he already had incredible form under his belt, as we will see, and was the clear favourite to claim his second major. His first came at Augusta in 2022, with a tie for 10th in 2023 as well. He shot a 66 in the opening round to sit one off the lead, but then moved joint-top after 36 holes.
On moving day he shot a 71 but that was enough for him to make his move and at seven under par he was one clear at the top of the leaderboard. He was never really in any trouble on the final day and his 68 was the second-best score of the day, enough to see him win by four shots and take home $3.6m.
Great Run Leading into Masters
Scheffler did not claim his first win of 2024 until the Arnold Palmer, but prior to that, his results were T5-T17-T6-T3-T10. However, come the prestigious Arnold Palmer Invitational, he was ready to assert his authority. A winner here in 2022 as well, he eased to a five-shot victory, with an impressive 15 under more than enough to land him another $4m.
These results alone would have been more than enough to cement his place at the top of the world rankings and as the favourite at Augusta. However, he made yet more history at the next huge event on the calendar, the unofficial fifth major, The Players Championship.
At the iconic TPC Sawgrass, he fired an incredible closing round of 64 to pip Wyndham Clark, Schauffele and Brian Harman by a single shot. He went into Sunday tied sixth, five adrift and with some really good players in front of him. However, his magnificent final round saw him defend the title he had claimed 12 months earlier, making him the first player in history to win back-to-back Players.
Solid but Unspectacular at Rest of Majors
Considering what a year it was for the former University of Texas man, his overall results in majors were a little disappointing. Winning one of the big four events would be a stellar accomplishment for most players but Scheffler might have hoped for more. In particular, finishing tied-eighth at the US PGA Championship, outside the top 40 at the US Open, and tied for seventh at the Open, would have been a letdown. That said, the fact that a win and two top-eights count as a below-par performance shows just how high Scheffler raised the bar in 2024.
Golden Year
Golf has featured at the Olympic Games a number of times over the years but the prestige of the event has really increased recently. You get four shots at a major every year but the chance to win Olympic gold occurs just once every four years. Moreover, with each nation sending a maximum of four players, and typically just two, there is no guarantee a top player will be able to appear at multiple Olympics, and certainly their chances of making it to three or more are fairly slim.
Ahead of the 2024 Games in Paris, many players had spoken of their desire to claim gold in the golf but it was Scheffler who managed it. Opening with three sub-70 rounds should have put him in the mix but scoring was very strong and his 67-69-67 over the first three days left him four back.
Rahm, Schauffele, Tommy Fleetwood and Hideki Matsuyama were among the excellent players above him. However, the world number one produced a scintillating 62 in the final round, tying the course record, to surge ahead of them all and win by one shot.
Other Wins
Scheffler had also won the RBC Heritage, the Memorial and the Travelers prior to claiming his Olympic gold, giving him his incredible seven wins on the PGA, plus Olympic glory. He “only” won one major but almost all of his eight wins came in big tournaments. His game from tee to green is sensational and it has been said that if he putts well, he will run away with victory, if he putts ok he will win, and if he putts badly he will still be in contention.
His temperament is superb and at 28 he could still be on the way up. He has spent more than 100 weeks as the world’s number one player, with only four players having been at the top longer. It is surely only a matter of time before he overtakes Rory in fourth and Dustin Johnson in third, and if he can add two or three more majors he will have to be classed as one of the all-time greats of the game.