In golf, great performances are usually followed by grandiose statements, almost always qualifying the author as “the best in the world” or “the hottest player. If you don’t want to be too absolute, add a temporal detail, something like: “the greatest player right now”. Less than a month ago, we experienced it with Joaquin Niemann, after the exceptional start to the season that opened the doors of the Augusta National Golf Club to him with a special invitation to the Masters.
Niemann was not the first and will not be the last player to dazzle fans. In fact, if there is one thing we can be sure of, it is that we have not heard the last word from the Chilean this season. Thank goodness for that, because, what would sport be without stars and heroics?
But it is one thing to see a player as the greatest in the heat of the moment, and quite another to seriously consider naming the true best in the world. When that moment comes, there is only one name on the table: Scottie Scheffler. There is no discussion, and if there is, it is not serious.
There is no method of analysis that places Scottie Scheffler even second in the world, and that has been the case for quite some time. In the Official World Golf Ranking, his gap to second place is abysmal, but the rest of the most popular world rankings, including Data Golf and TUGR, also have him as the top-ranked golfer.
His detractors, generally LIV Golf supporters (nothing against LIV, I’m just stating a fact), blame his success on the exodus of talent to LIV Golf. However, those who think so forget that Scottie Scheffler burst into world golf stardom by winning four tournaments in 2022 (including The Masters) when LIV Golf was not yet born.
Additionally, Scottie Scheffler‘s dominance has brought to mind Tiger Woods’ period of splendor (albeit only for a few months). According to data from CBS journalist Kyle Porter, the Texan (born in New Jersey) has played 51 tournaments on the PGA Tour from January 1, 2022 to date, with 9 victories, only three missed cuts, 34 Top 10s, 22 Top 3s and 5 Top 10s in majors. No one, on any circuit, has had a performance or similar performance in the same period of time.
Scottie Scheffler: The Player the PGA Tour Needs?
It’s hard to predict Scheffler’s place in golf history, as he wouldn’t be the first or last to retire early in his career (I hope he doesn’t, of course). However, it can be said that Scottie is exactly the player the PGA Tour needs in its negotiations with the Public Investment Fund (PIF)/LIV Golf.
Scottie Scheffler does not have (and may never have) the clout of a Tiger Woods on the American tour. But he is now the star everyone wants and the PGA Tour has. His value goes far beyond his amazing athletic accomplishments.
Scheffler is a player who is always focused, serious and professional. He is never seen making out-of-place or out-of-character statements, although he has his opinions and says them at the right time and in the right place. His thing is to be as good as he can be at golf (and boy, does he ever get there!).
He is also a family man with solid ethical values despite his youth. Finally, Scottie Scheffler is not the type of self-centered sports star who thinks he deserves everything and that his results will never stop coming. On the contrary, he is an athlete who nurtures and cultivates his talent, while at the same time being a person of extraordinary friendliness, always approachable, who earns as much praise for his human qualities as for his golfing ones.
It’s not that all players should be cut from the same cloth. After all, development comes from diversity. But I have no doubt that in the eyes of the PGA Tour, Scottie Scheffler is exactly the kind of player they want to see.
And what does that have to do with the PIF/LIV negotiations? Well, the Texan is also the symbol of the product that the PGA Tour can offer. Of course, one swallow does not make a summer, but with Scheffler in its catalog, accompanied by established and rising stars who can challenge him, as demonstrated at The Players Championship, the PGA Tour’s negotiating position is very strong. At least as strong as LIV Golf’s.