PINEHURST, N.C.—Hard to imagine a golfer as dominating as Tiger Woods was in his prime but Scottie Scheffler’s 2024 season continues its juggernaut and merits comparison for the total consistency demonstrated thus far.
He just won his most recent outing at the Memorial, his 5th PGA Tour title this year, and now takes aim this week at the Pinehurst No. 2 site for this year’s 124th U.S. Open.
The five wins ties an accomplishment last achieved when Tom Watson won a similar number prior to the 1980 U.S. Open.
- Bay Hill / Arnold Palmer Invitational
- Augusta National / The Masters
- Muirfield Village / Memorial
- Harbour Town / RBC Heritage
- TPC Sawgrass / The Players Championship
While his final round score of 74 at Muirfield Village was his highest in two years, the simple reality is that Mr. Scheffler plays through any type of situation faced and he’s fully able to win even when his game is not hitting on all cylinders.
The last five-time winner on the PGA Tour was Justin Thomas in 2016/2017 but that effort came through an entire season. The bigger accomplishment by Mr. Scheffler is his beating superior fields at such high-profile sites. Separating oneself is no easy task, but Mr. Scheffler never skips a beat. He is pro golf’s energizer golfer. Keep this in mind, he has been in the top ten in 11 consecutive events. He has also won 11 times on the PGA Tour, 12 worldwide.
The number-one player in the world is now aiming for a U.S. Open title and candidly, if Mr. Scheffler plays anywhere near his “A” game can anyone beat him?
Should Mr. Scheffler win the U.S. Open this week he will become just the seventh to have won the Masters and U.S. Open in the same year: Craig Wood (1941), Ben Hogan (1951 and 1953), Arnold Palmer (1960), Jack Nicklaus (1972), Tiger Woods (2000) and Jordan Spieth (2015) are the others.
Over the last several months Mr. Scheffler’s life has changed dramatically.
He and his wife Meredith welcomed their first child into the world a few weeks back. And the win at the Memorial was his first as a new Dad. He also joins illustrious company with Tiger Woods as the only players to have won The Players, Masters, and Memorial in the same year.
Mr. Scheffler’s dominance has seen his bank account soar. He’s won $24 million this season—eclipsing the record he accomplished last year.
Beyond the money are the core statistics that speak far louder and clearly to the domination he is demonstrating. Mr. Scheffler leads the PGA Tour in stroke average with a 68.55 total—almost a show lower than the next player Xander Schauffele.
He also leads the Tour in the average number of birdies made per round with a 5.22 total and in reaching greens in the regulation stroke with 73.52 percent. He is also the leader in overall strokes gained with a 2.91 average.
In simple terms—the golf being played by the 27-year-old is reaching levels not seen for quite some time in the sport.
The two most interesting aspects of Mr. Scheffler’s performance start with his even-keel approach when playing. Whatever shot he plays—and no matter how it turns out—produces no outward expression of either joy or frustration.
Consider the 3rd round at the Memorial. Matters were proceeding smoothly until he scored a triple-bogey at the par-4 9th. For many players that derailment could have meant a complete evisceration of all that had been achieved to that point. Mr. Scheffler shrugged it off and rebounded with three birdies over the next eight holes.
The second dimension rests with his golf shot execution. Distance control for approaches to greens is a pivotal element in setting up as many birdie opportunities as possible. Mr. Scheffler’s iron play is nearly flawless—going the correct distance and leaving him in the best possible position to score. This style of play can be disconcerting to rivals because they know full well Mr. Scheffler will not provide any easy avenues to beat him.
Mr. Scheffler’s most concerning weakness had been his putting but that now seems to be in his rear-view mirror as he showed during the final hole of the Memorial. After missing the green long with his approach, he deftly chipped out of the high rough to five feet. The putt he faced was hardly simple going downhill.
Failure to hole out could easily have meant a playoff with rival and playing partner Collin Morikawa. Although his ball was above the hole and quite swift, Mr. Scheffler closed out the tournament with a fearless stroke that entered the center of the cup.
One specific attribute Mr. Scheffler has shown is an unrelenting desire to win—executing the needed shots necessary to close out events. The greatest strength of Tiger Woods, during his peak years, was his insatiable desire to win and finish off tournaments. Mr. Scheffler is showing similar signs in that area.
Golf is a most fickle game. What works one day may be absent the next. Being able to maintain a continuous presence on leaderboards is no small task and doing so when not at one’s best is a key ingredient few players can attain. Mr. Scheffler is now operating at a far higher level than his rivals.
The surge Mr. Scheffler is consistently showing this year will reach seismic proportions with a win at the U.S. Open at Pinehurst this week. Few believed when Tiger Woods left the stage a new king in professional golf could dominate so thoroughly given the depth of players globally.
Yes, the crown has passed onward.
