Tiger Vs. Scottie

Is It a Fair Comparison?

Before I get into this week’s newsletter, there will not be a newsletter next week as I am on vacation.

Now, on to this week’s newsletter.

There has been a lot of comparison lately in the golf media and on social media between Tiger Woods and Scottie Scheffler. These comparisons pop up in sports often when an athlete starts dominating. From Ben Hogan to Arnold Palmer to Jack Nicklaus to Tiger Woods and now Scottie Scheffler, golf often draws great discussion and debate when comparing great players from different eras. In more recent times, the debate over the greatest golfer of all time has centered around Jack and Tiger.

The comparison between Tiger and Scottie doesn’t center around which one is better, it centers around whether Scheffler is entering Tiger like status at this point in time. Scheffler has a long way to go before being considered the GOAT.

Is it a fair comparison?

Scottie is certainly dominant right now, but it has only been for a short period of time. He is currently 3rd all-time with 184 weeks in the #1 spot behind Greg Norman (331 total weeks) and Tiger Woods (683 total weeks). He currently sits in 3rd place for most consecutive weeks at #1 in the world at 153 weeks. The only other golfer to pass the 100 consecutive week mark is Tiger Woods who did it twice with streaks of 281 and 264 consecutive weeks at #1. Both of Tiger’s streaks were 5+ years at #1. Scottie is currently just shy of 3 consecutive years at #1.

Scheffler won 7 times last season which is an amazing feat, but it fell short of Tiger’s personal record of 9 wins in the 2000 season. Byron Nelson holds the record with 18 wins in a season in 1945 which occurred in a year when Nelson won 11 consecutive tournaments. In fairness, many of the top players missed portions or all of that season due to military service. Ben Hogan won 13 events in 1946 and 10 events in 1948. Sam Snead captured 11 titles in 1950. I will add I believe the depth of talent is far superior in both the Tiger and Scottie timeframes than in the other eras where the record exists.

Scheffler has 13 consecutive top 10 finishes entering the Tour Championship. The two years prior, Scheffler tallied 17 top ten finishes. Tiger only reached 17 top 10’s in a year once. Vijay Singh holds the modern record with 18 top 10’s in a season which he accomplished three consecutive years (“03, ‘04, ‘05). The all-time record belongs to Harold “Jugs” McSpaden with 31 in 1945.

Let’s talk the ultimate measure in golf, majors.

Tiger sits at #2 on the all-time list of major wins with 15. Scottie sits at 4 with his two major victories this year at the PGA Championship and Open Championship. Nicklaus sits at the top with 18 major victories. Scheffler is 29 years old. Tiger already had 10 majors at 29. However, Scheffler has the same number of major victories as Nicklaus at age 29.

Looking at these stats it’s understandable why there is discussion comparing Scheffler and Woods. Scheffler certainly has stats compared to the all-time best players on the PGA Tour over a comparable period. Time will tell if can keep pace.

As always, be grateful when you play. Be thankful for the privilege and opportunity to play this amazing game. Now, go golf!