Prime Tiger Woods vs Scottie Scheffler: Despite Winning the Money Game, Is World No.1 Redefining Golf Like the 15x Major Champion?

So, Scottie Scheffler has surpassed Tiger Woods. Well, in a way. With the Travelers triumph, the current world no. 1 netted his sixth tile before July. He became the first since Tiger Woods to achieve six victories in a calendar year. And it was the first since Arnold Palmer to do it before July. Something even Woods couldn’t do.

Scheffler’s pocket is getting fatter with each passing week. The 28-year-old has already broken the record for the highest earnings in a calendar year. His sixth victory in 15 starts has resulted in staggering stats. They are closer than you think, but is the current world no. 1 better than the former, as some suggest?

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio (@siriusxmpgatour)

While both won six times in their first 15 starts, Scheffler has 10 more rounds in the 60s than Woods’s 30. Compared to his 13 top-10s, Woods had 12. Moreover, Scheffler’s 583 world ranking points are 51 better than Woods’s. Scheffler’s FedEx Cup lead this season, of a whopping 2000+ points, is the best since 2009.

There are more, of course. But Woods’s total strokes gained are far better than Scheffler’s. The 15-time major champion set a record victory margin at the 2000 U.S. Open, beating the next best, Ernie Els, by 15 shots. Woods was the only player to break par at 12 under. At the Open Championship, Woods bettered Thomas Bjorn by eight shots. So, what gives?

The LIV variable needs to be factored in the case of Scottie Scheffler

The statistics game can favor both, depending on the dataset we are looking at. There are a few things to consider, however. Firstly, the field is arguably tougher than what Woods faced in the 2000s. In Scheffler’s defense, his four Signature Events triumph means he has bested the best field that the PGA Tour could offer. And that goes for THE PLAYERS Championship as well.

Ironically, the signature events also point to the names missing from the field. The exodus of top draws like Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Cameron Smith, and Joaquin Niemann does water down the PGA Tour field. Even in the case of signature events.

It’s impossible to predict how many titles Scheffler would’ve won with all the top players in the field. In the absence of that, majors remain the only place where the bigwigs across the PGA Tour and LIV Golf face each other. It can be argued that the field strength evens out between Woods and Scheffler, neither having an advantage.

Fair enough. But Woods has won six times in a calendar year twice. He has bettered that four times in his career: in 2007, winning seven, in 1999 and 2006, winning eight, and in 2000, netting nine titles. The sheer longevity of this streak still puts him ahead of most.

Scheffler needs to finish this season at a highwater mark to be on par with Woods’s 2000 campaign. And then he needs to repeat that feat or come close to it a couple of times to be comparable with the 48-year-old. Many have tried, including Scheffler’s PGA Tour colleagues, but the flame died soon after.