How Scottie Scheffler compares with Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy for career strokes gained on the PGA Tour

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One of the caveats which always needs to be mentioned when fans debate the greatest golfers of all-time is how difficult it is to compare players, with Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler all enjoying their peaks in different eras.

Tiger Woods was obviously at the top for more than a decade, winning 14 of his 15 majors between 1997 and 2008. Rory McIlroy meanwhile, would secure his first professional win one year later in 2009. And Scottie Scheffler was not even a PGA Tour member when Woods won his 15th major in 2019.

McIlroy is undoubtedly one of the most talented players of his era. And while he has not won a major in more than a decade, he remains one of the biggest stars in the game.

But it is Scheffler who is setting the standard right now. The world number one won eight times worldwide in 2024. Most players would be happy if they achieved what Scheffler managed this season across their entire careers.

How Scottie Scheffler compares with Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy

Scheffler’s dominance has not been seen since Woods’ time at the top. But where does the 28-year-old rank amongst the greats?

Data Golf allows for the PGA Tour careers of Woods, McIlroy and Scheffler to be compared. Using their true strokes gained data, here is where the trio rank, with both Xander Schauffele and Jon Rahm also included.

5. Xander Schauffele

Xander Schauffele has had an unbelievable 2024, winning two majors. Many players would rather have Schauffele’s year over Scheffler’s season – which says a lot. The 31-year-old has been incredibly consistent throughout his career, finishing in the top 10 at all four majors this year. But he is the one player on this list to gain less than two shots per round on the field on average.

4. Scottie Scheffler

It will surprise some to see Scheffler down in fourth. His 2024 season has been one of the all-time great years and his rise has seemingly been meteoric. However, he actually has the lowest made cut percentage of the five players on this list. You would imagine that that number is going to improve substantially in the years to come.

3. Jon Rahm

Data Golf’s numbers only include the PGA Tour and the majors, and they place Rahm ahead of Scheffler for strokes gained per round. It highlights what a big loss the Spaniard was to the PGA Tour when he decided to join LIV Golf in 2023. It is Rahm who comes out on top for the highest percentage of made cuts, too.

• READ MORE: Sergio Garcia shares whether he was surprised when Jon Rahm decided to join LIV Golf

2. Rory McIlroy

What is remarkable about McIlroy’s numbers is that he does not come first for win percentage, top five percentage, top 20 percentage or made cuts percentage. But crucially, he does not come last in any of those categories either, which helps explain why only one player on this list has a better average strokes gained record than the Northern Irishman.

1. Tiger Woods

It is frightening how far Woods is ahead of the rest. He leads almost every category except made cuts percentage. And he gains nearly two and a half shots on the field in every single round he plays. When you consider how Woods’ form has suffered in the last decade too, the gap to the rest of the names on the list becomes even scarier.