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Scottie Scheffler has a protracted strategy to go to catch Tiger Woods.
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Tiger Woods comparisons typically are a extremely good factor.
However after Scottie Scheffler joined Woods as one of seven multiple-time Players champions, he was reminded of what may very well be seen as a barely miserable statistic.
The present World No. 1 has been on a tear the previous 25 months; Scheffler earned his first PGA Tour win in February 2022 on the WM Phoenix Open and hasn’t slowed down a lot since.
He gained three extra occasions over the following three months that season, together with his first main title on the Masters. He gained in Scottsdale once more in 2023 earlier than taking the Gamers Championship a month later. Scheffler didn’t win for 52 weeks after that (gasp!), however that didn’t cease him from cementing his place at the top of the sport.
Whereas Scheffler didn’t win an official occasion between March 2023 and March 2024, he racked up top-10s at a mind-boggling tempo. For the complete 2022-23 PGA Tour season, he completed outdoors the highest 12 simply 3 times. His subsequent begin, after the Tour Championship, on the unofficial Hero World Problem? He won.
Previously two weeks, the 27-year-old has returned to his official profitable methods, taking the Arnold Palmer Invitational and defending his title at TPC Sawgrass, turning into the primary to perform the feat.
In response to the analytics website, DataGolf, Scheffler’s present peak of +2.82 within the DG Index is the fourth highest of all-time, behind Woods in 2000, Vijay Singh in 2004 and David Duval in 1999. He’s been in a position to preserve — and elevate — that quantity regardless of shedding strokes on the inexperienced till the final couple of weeks.
However, being in comparison with Woods ain’t simple, and on Sunday night at TPC Sawgrass Scheffler shared a humorous revelation about how far he has to go to attract official comparisons to Woods’ sustained run of dominance.
“I’m not going to recollect the precise numbers, however like we’re playing at Riv this year, and I hit my tee ball and this man yells out, like, ‘Congrats on being No. 1 Scottie. Eleven extra years to go,’” Scheffler recalled, cracking up the press room.
“Eleven extra years to go,” he repeated for emphasis.
The fan eventually month’s Genesis Invitational was referring to Woods’ unimaginable mark of 683 weeks atop the Official World Golf Rating, greater than double the whole of the following closest participant. Woods was additionally World No. 1 for 2 separate streaks of 281 and 264 weeks — once more, each greater than double the following greatest.
Scheffler, in the meantime, is engaged on a run of 44 straight weeks atop of the OWGR for a complete of 79 weeks in his profession, all of which have come within the final two years. Meaning to catch Woods, Scheffler wants to carry the world’s prime rating for one more 604 weeks, or about 11 years and 7 and a half months.
The win he logged Sunday was the eighth of his profession, leaving him 76 behind Woods’ document whole on the PGA Tour, to not point out Scheffler’s lone main title is 14 fewer than Woods’ mark.
“Anytime you could be in comparison with Tiger I believe is de facto particular, however, I imply, the man stands alone I believe in our recreation,” Scheffler mentioned. “He actually does. That is my eighth event win now out right here, I’ve tied him in Gamers Championships. Exterior of that, I bought 14 extra majors and 70-some PGA Tour occasions to catch up. So I believe I’m going to stay to my routine and simply proceed to plot alongside, try to keep as even-keeled as I can.
“All of us idolize Tiger. He’s been our man. Watching what he did in particular moments through the years is loopy to observe. I’ve discovered so much simply from being round him. We’re simply very grateful that he’s nonetheless part of our sport.”
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