How Scottie Scheffler’s driving, iron play and putting in 2024 compares to Tiger Woods’ stats in 2000

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One of the only question marks which remain over Scottie Scheffler after his incredible 2024 season is what he could still go on and achieve, and whether he will enjoy the same kind of dominance Tiger Woods had in the first decade of his career.

Scottie Scheffler won eight times worldwide in 2024, with The Masters, The Players, The Memorial, The Tour Championship and an Olympic gold medal all being added to the resume.

Scheffler’s dominance has arguably not been seen since Woods’ prime. Remarkably, the 48-year-old won eight times in a single season twice in his career – and they were not even the best years Woods had. For many, no-one has been better than Tiger Woods was in 2000 when he won nine times, including three majors.

Of course, the game has changed a lot over the last 24 years. But there are a number of statistics which can be used to compare Scheffler’s performance this year with Woods’ 2000 season. So how does the current world number one compare against arguably the greatest player the game has ever seen?

2024’s Scottie Scheffler vs 2000’s Tiger Woods

Driving

Equipment is obviously a big factor to consider when looking at the driving numbers. Driver heads have got considerably bigger and much more forgiving over the last two decades.

So it is incredibly impressive that Woods is so close to Scheffler when it comes to driving distance and comfortably beats him when it comes to accuracy. Scheffler is second on the PGA Tour for strokes gained off the tee.

Irons

Scheffler is first for strokes gained with his approach game this season. And yet, Woods reached the green in regulation more than three-quarters of the time during 2000. Scheffler is not far behind however, hitting the green in regulation 73.16% of the time.

Putting

If there is perhaps one shocking statistic in this comparison, it is perhaps that Scheffler has a better score for putts per round than Woods. Woods averaged 1.717 putts per round in 2000, while Scheffler averaged 1.68 putts per round. Scheffler did improve his putting in 2024, but he is still down in 76th on tour for strokes gained with the flat stick this year.

Perhaps it would be fair to suggest that it highlights just how good Scheffler’s iron game is. He is giving himself so many genuine chances to one-putt – usually for birdie.

Scoring average

Both Woods and Scheffler seem to have the ability to blow the field away; almost appearing to play a completely different course to their peers. Scheffler finished seven shots clear of third place at The Masters this past year, while Woods won the same event by a record 12 shots in 1997.

Scheffler’s adjusted scoring average was 68.645 this year, while Woods was not far away from one shot per round better back in 2000.

While Woods has the edge over Scheffler in the majority of the categories, it says a lot that Scheffler is ahead in a couple himself.

He does not necessarily excite the galleries in the same way that Woods did in his prime – and still to this day, in fairness – but the statistics perhaps confirm that the golfing world is indeed looking at a future all-time great in the current world number one.