After Xander Schauffele captured his second major of the year at The Open, several golf commentators suggested he might be the Player of the Year over Scottie Scheffler. While winning two majors is undoubtedly a remarkable achievement, using this as the sole criterion for Player of the Year seems short-sighted. Even before Scheffler’s comeback to win Olympic gold, there was no debate. With victories at The Masters, The Players Championship, and seven total PGA Tour wins this season, Scheffler’s resume would require a sweep of the playoff events and the FedEx Cup for Schauffele’s achievements to be seriously considered in this discussion.
Since the end of Tiger Woods’ dominance, several players have made significant impacts on the game, including Dustin Johnson, Jason Day, Brooks Koepka, Jon Rahm, and Jordan Spieth. Spieth had an impressive season with five wins and five second-place finishes, although he missed four cuts, which is a rarity compared to Scheffler’s consistency.
Tiger Woods’ legacy is marked by a decade of unparalleled success, featuring five or more tournament wins in ten seasons for Tiger. His peak performance saw ten wins in one season and nine in another, along with multiple seven-win seasons. Notably, Woods also had a remarkable seven-year streak without missing a cut, competing in about 20 premium events each year.
In contrast, Vijay Singh, a contemporary of Woods, was the only player to dethrone him from the number one spot, achieving nine wins in a single season. Singh needed 32 events to reach this milestone, which was eight or nine more than Woods in his best years. Despite this, Singh’s accomplishment remains significant, especially given the high level of competition during Woods’ peak. Now Scottie Scheffler is staking his own claim to a Tiger like season.
Conclusion
Scottie Scheffler is on an extraordinary pace in this historic season, and it is entirely possible, if not likely, that he could surpass previous records in a single year, particularly in the Official World Golf Ranking era. The only potential counterargument is the absence of about five players from the LIV Tour who might challenge him. However, given Scheffler’s current form and the performance of these players on the LIV Tour, it seems unlikely that this would significantly impact his achievements. This season stands out as the most historic since the eras since Tiger Woods. There is no debate who has been the best player this season.
