Tiger Woods and Scottie Scheffler have had more than their fair share of comparisons in recent years but in 2026, Scheffler could take one record that Woods will never get back.
While Woods has still achieved way more than Scheffler in his career so far, there are plenty of parallels to be drawn between the pair.
In terms of dominance and will to win, both golfers are right at the top of the tree.
In terms of talent, once again, both Woods and Scheffler are as good as we’ve ever seen on the PGA Tour.
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However, like any other top level sport, in the end, it comes down to who can make the money and cash in those dollar bill paycheques.
And going into 2026, Scheffler is on course to become the main man in that respect.
Scottie Scheffler on course to overtake Tiger Woods as golf’s top earner
In terms of overall money earned for a career, Tiger Woods is miles clear of any other golfer ever.
The number of brands and sponsors over the years, coupled with the $120m earned in prize money mean Woods is by no means struggling to make ends meet.
However, with the current world of golf having more and more money pumped into it, Woods is now perilously close to losing his spot as number one for PGA Tour winnings.
Going into the ’26 season, Scheffler sits above $99m, just $27m shy of reeling in Woods and only $8m shy of Rory McIlroy in second.
Indeed, given Scheffler made over $27m in 2025 alone, that means if he can repeat the season he had or do even better, then the number one spot will be his.
Realistically, there is a chance Scottie gets to around the $250-300m mark before his career is done with.
Scottie Scheffler’s earnings potential not the same as Tiger’s
While Scheffler is bringing in the millions by winning golf tournaments and will have a number of endorsement deals as well to help, he is a different character to Woods.
Woods was very much a charismatic enigma who drew in the entire world, both inside and outside of golf.
He also revelled in the spotlight, often performing best when the light shone most brightly on him. That leads to more opportunities, more people wanting you and ultimately, more millions in the bank.
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Scheffler, meanwhile, isn’t like that. He remains marketable but in his own way. His brand of golf has even been called ‘boring’ by some but right now, it is a winning brand of golf.
Come the end of Scheffler’s career, it will be interesting to see just where he stacks up against Woods in terms of overall dollars earned.
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