He dominates and stays grounded. Scottie Scheffler doesn’t want to hear about him as the new Tiger Woods. “I think these comparisons are a bit exaggerated. He has 15 Majors and I have four,” he said Sunday after winning The Open at Royal Portrush. This is true, as is the fact that the American is only 29 years old.
Scheffler has been world No. 1 continuously for 113 weeks (he hasn’t relinquished the title since May 22, 2023). In total, he has been the greatest of all time for 147 weeks. Big Cat is unrivaled with his 281 consecutive titles (his total is 683). But only Scheffler and Woods have held the title for this long in the modern era.
Scottie Scheffler, statements
For now, only Greg Norman stands between Tiger and Scottie, having held the top spot 331 times in his career but only 96 consecutively.
Another curious fact: both the Texan and Tiger took 1,197 days to go from their first to their fourth major. Scheffler and Woods are also the only players in the last 50 years to have won two Majors in the same year by at least four strokes.
At The Open, Scheffler played 32 holes without a bogey until the eighth of the final round, where he made a double bogey from a bunker. But that was his only lapse in 36 holes. “To win a major, you have to avoid mistakes,” he explained, “and I only made one hole over par this weekend.”
Scottie has won two Majors in 2025, the PGA Championship (by five strokes) and now The Open (by four). And since taking the lead after 54 holes, he has never let go: 11 consecutive victories as the leader after three rounds.
The fist in the air… reminiscent of TigerDuring the final round of The Open Championship, Scheffler needed just over an hour to extend his lead from four to seven shots thanks to solid play on the fairways and greens in regulation, enhanced by three birdies.
“I think these comparisons are a bit exaggerated. Tiger has won 15 majors, I’m stuck at four. I’ve only come a quarter of the way there. He was an inspiration to me, a special talent. But he’s unique,” said the 29-year-old.
It’s worth noting that at 29, Woods had already won ten of his 15 majors and 46 Tour victories to Scottie’s 20.
Is it better to compare him to McIlroy? If we were to only use Grand Slam titles as a reference, yes. Rory McIlroy won four between 2011 and 2014, with clear margins like the eight-shot win at the PGA Championship. But what’s next? Eleven years of drought. Scheffler, however, is never stopping. “Greatness in golf is also measured by consistency,” the American clearly emphasizes.
Scheffler also surprises with his humility. He doesn’t chase fame or records. “I don’t wake up thinking about how many victories I want to achieve. I just want to live my dream: playing golf and doing it to the best of my ability.”
After the praise from his colleagues comes the cue from another champion. Jordan Spieth adds an interesting reflection: “Scottie doesn’t want to be a superstar. He doesn’t try to transcend golf like Tiger did. He works, competes, and wins. And that’s enough.”
