Scottie Scheffler had one of many all-time standout seasons on the PGA TOUR in 2024. The World No 1 had seven wins on the PGA TOUR, highlighted by victories on the US Masters, The Gamers Championship and the Fed Ex Cup, whereas gathering a report prize cash complete of US$62 million. Capping off his outstanding 12 months was a gold medal on the Paris Olympics.
How good was the 12 months Scheffler had and the way does it charge when in comparison with among the greats of the previous?
By Micheal Courtroom
I’M an enormous fan of Scottie Scheffler, OK?
Having stated that, one summer season doesn’t make him the most effective ever.
In any case, he solely earned a mere $62m this 12 months on the PGA Tour.
It’s inconceivable to place that in perspective and measure it alongside the likes of Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods.
Granted he’s had a heck of a 12 months . . . and we’re not even counting his gold medal win on the Olympics, the place he supposedly performed for nothing however a medal.
As nice as Sheffler’s 12 months was, the cash facet of professional golf is now uncontrolled, with somewhat assist from LIV, after all.
Scheffler caught by the PGA Tour and with none opposition from the likes of LIV stars Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau and others he took residence a tremendous common of $3.3m for each match he performed in.
Additional evaluation reveals he made $830,000 for each spherical he performed which equated to about $12,000 for each shot.
And should you suppose your spherical of golf is taking too lengthy of a weekend, really feel for Sheffler who was incomes $3000 for each minute he was on a golf course this 12 months, assuming every spherical of competitors took him about 4 and a half hours.
Wish to evaluate that to something the best two golfers of all-time, Nicklaus and Woods earned or received?
Nicely, Nicklaus, now in his 80s is about 14th on the all-time cash listing and Tiger sits second behind solely Rory McIlroy.
After simply a few years, Scheffler has already moved to about seventh within the all-time listing.
So, heaven is aware of what number of {dollars} he may have earned by the point his profession begins to wind down.
In fact, there’s a probability he may do a Invoice Rogers and be a one-season surprise. However I doubt it.
. . . And he nonetheless misses fairly a number of two-to-three-foot putts every month.
And that’s much more than I ever noticed Nicklaus or Woods miss of their prime.
By Peter Owen
AS a lot as I like his ability I’ve received to admit that I can’t get enthusiastic about watching Scottie Scheffler play golf. Perhaps it’s simply because he’s so good that I discover myself subconsciously rooting for the fellows chasing him, until after all the chasers are Xander Schauffele, or Collin Morikawa or, worst of all, Justin Thomas.
However give the bloke his due – he’s simply accomplished the most effective season of golf that anyone has ever seen. What in regards to the greats of yesteryear, it’s possible you’ll ask. What about Nicklaus, Woods, Palmer, Participant, Hogan, Snead, Norman and the like?
Put merely, they wouldn’t get inside cooee of Scheffler. He’d kill them. However, then, so would Sahith Theegala, Sam Burns and Patrick Cantlay. So would half the professionals taking part in around the globe.
The typical skilled on the PGA Tour, LIV Golf or DP World Tour would outdrive, out putt and outthink all these former champions – just because they play with higher gear, and so they’re fitter, stronger, higher coached and higher ready.
All of them have physios, nutritionists, private trainers and psychological coaches. They usually’re competing towards higher gamers. The competitors immediately is so intense, the pool of achieved golfers so deep, {that a} no-name like Nick Dunlap can gatecrash the PGA Tour and win twice in his first 12 months of competitors.
It’s ridiculous to recommend that Hogan was higher than Nicklaus, or Nicklaus higher than Woods, or Woods higher than Scheffler. All you are able to do is evaluate the champions of the previous with the folks they performed towards.
Scottie Scheffler’s efficiency this 12 months is the most effective there’s ever been. Little question. And he’s a younger man. He’ll clearly win extra tournaments, extra majors, extra Fedex Cups and more cash. He’s the most effective golfer of this era.
However any person will come alongside in 20 years’ time and win a stack of occasions and we’ll be asking the identical query once more? Is the brand new champ higher than good previous Scottie Scheffler? And, after all, he can be higher. That’s the way in which it goes. That’s evolution.
By Michael Davis
It could be churlish by any measure to disclaim Scotty Scheffler the place he has rightfully earned within the recreation’s pantheon.
Certainly, the gorgeous season he has had on the 2024 PGA Tour calls for it.
Already I can hear the naysayers bleating within the background.
‘Oh, all the most effective gamers have gone to LIV,’ they protest.
‘No Rahm, no Koepka, no Cameron Smith…,’ they bleat.
‘However truthful go,’ I say.
Scheffler can solely beat the sphere wherein he performs.
It’s not his fault the massive names defected to LIV for big pay days.
Nonetheless, if and when the ultimate peace pipe is smoked between LIV and the PGA Tour, I anticipate Scheffler’s dominance to proceed unabated.
His season was nothing in need of wonderful turning into the primary participant to win seven occasions – eight based on Scheffler, who counts the gold medal on the Paris Olympics – since Tiger Woods in 2007. Within the final 40 years, Scheffler joins Woods, who did it 4 occasions, and Vijay Singh, who received 9 occasions in 2004.
Those that suppose comparisons between Woods and Scheffler are untimely ought to take into account the phrases of our very personal Adam Scott.
Scott performed towards Tiger when Woods was in his prime and completed tied for fourth within the season ending FedEx championship behind Scheffler.
“I believe it’s on par with these nice years of Tiger’s,” Scott stated. “I believe it’s very onerous immediately for anybody to separate themselves as a lot as Scotty has. I don’t suppose we’ve seen that in a very long time. I believe it’s tougher to do it immediately.”
Who am I to disagree?
By Larry Canning
I’m undecided why we actually want to match Scotty Scheffler with anybody previously to be sincere.
Jack Nicklaus is the deserved GOAT when pure expertise was the defining measure.
Tiger had a expertise I don’t suppose we are going to ever see once more. In his reign, the Royal and ‘Conceited’ Golf Course of St Andrews had the chance to decelerate the eminent menace of lowering our recreation and golf programs to a science and an equation, however selected to sit down on their fingers. Then they arrive out with ‘wow we’d higher be seen doing one thing” knee jerk response by banning a placing methodology that would hold yippers in with an opportunity to nonetheless compete.
Golf’s been fortunate we’ve had two Donald Bradman’s within the area of each my lifetimes, however these days are actually behind us.
So, let’s simply sit again in our loungerooms or have a beer with a mate on the clubhouse and have fun how good Scottie Scheffler is!
He’s not one other model of anybody from the previous, however he’s the latest type of {golfing} dominance. He received’t win 15 majors however will go into any match performed within the close to future as raging favorite and that’s nice for our recreation.
“Who’s going to beat Scottie Scheffler this week” is a terrific dialog to have every week on the bar.
Let’s reinvent the dialog to at least one that’s extra real looking. I nonetheless love watching the most effective gamers on the planet compete on no matter tour they play and so far as the PGA TOUR is anxious, Scottie is with out peer.
