Encores are never easy in golf, and that’s especially true for Scottie Scheffler.
For starters, he can’t win another one Olympic gold medal until 2028 in Los Angeles, although getting your hands on a 17-inch gold Ryder Cup trophy might be enough. Winning another Masters, or any major, is not out of the question.
Seven wins on the PGA Tour? That’s a tall order given that only one player in the last 25 years – Tiger Woods – has won at least seven times in consecutive years. Woods did it twice, in 1999-2000 and 2006-07.
But Scheffler has won with such consistency this year that once he pocketed his first at Bay Hill he never participated in more than two tournaments without winning.
What’s even more remarkable about Scheffler’s unforgettable 2024 is the birth of her first child, getting arrested in Louisville, Kentucky, during the PGA Championship and then puncturing his right hand with broken glass while preparing Christmas dinner.
A repetition of the last two can be done without. Scheffler underwent minor surgery that knocked him out of the season opener at The Sentry, delaying the start of his new season.
What to expect?
“We just don’t know.” It’s a question you can only look at with hindsight,” said Padraig Harrington. “Is he Tiger Woods and will he continue as if last year was normal? Or is Scottie like everyone else, who has a good run and it’s never quite the same afterward? We can only discover this in hindsight.
“He seems to have a good temperament for last year, which is normal,” he said. “But as we know, in golf, that never seems to be the case.”
Harrington is one of those who can speak from experience.
His monster year came in 2008, when the Irishman won the British Open and the PGA Championship. The following year, expectations were huge at the Masters, where he attempted to join Woods and Ben Hogan as the only players to win three consecutive majors. Harrington did not win in 2009, ending a nine-year streak with at least one victory.
There were plenty of other great years, but the booster was lacking in the non-Tiger division.
Jordan Spieth won the Masters And US Open and made a serious run at the calendar Grand Slam in 2015, a year that ended with five victories, the FedEx Cup and ranking #1. His encore began with an eight-shot victory at Kapalua and was going very well until he blew a five-shot lead on the back nine at the Masters. He won twice the rest of the year.
Rory McIlroy won consecutive majors in 2014, with the BMW PGA Championship in Wentworth. He matched his four wins in 2015, but the year was marred by no majors and a soccer-related ankle injury that knocked him out of the British Open.
Vijay Singh won nine times in 2004 and had nothing to be ashamed of in 2005: four wins, no majors and he was once again second fiddle to Woods.
Singh and Woods were the only players to win at least seven PGA Tour titles in a season over the past 40 years, until Scheffler’s arrival. There was lots of comparisons to Woodsat least statistically. The PGA Tour said Scheffler was No. 1 in 52 “important statistics.”
Many of these stats weren’t available in Woods’ best year (2000), although the best comparison might be finishing in the top 10 with a rate of 84%. Woods was at 85% in 2000.
Scheffler said of the Woods comparisons: “I think they’re a little silly. »
“I think we’re always looking to compare someone to Tiger Woods,” Scheffler said. “I saw him a lot growing up. I remember when Jordan had his season in 2015 and he won a bunch of times and people were comparing him to Tiger Woods. There’s really only one Tiger is just a little bit of that. I’m trying to get the best out of myself and that’s really all I’m focusing on.
“I don’t chase records or history or anything like that,” he said. “I just try to keep getting a little better, day by day, going out there and competing, having fun.”
His star power has never been greater after such a banner year. Nick Price had one in 1994 with seven world victories, including the last two major tournaments, which made him the undisputed world No. 1. He won once in 1995 at the Zimbabwe Open.
Price attributed his difficult recall to the demands of his time and his naturally pleasant disposition. Players had to return to the tournaments they won during a media day. Price had to do a lot and says it exhausted him.
When asked what he saw from Scheffler, Price let out a deep breath.
“He handles everything so well,” Price said. “I don’t think he plays too much. He doesn’t have a schedule that exhausts him. Nothing can stop him. Not only does he have a great game from tee to green, but his short game! His chipping and the bunker play is phenomenal.
“He loves playing golf. You can see it. He has this unflappable demeanor,” he said. “It’s like he’s in a different league from the other guys.”
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AP Golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf
