If there’s a man in golf qualified to have his say on any Scottie Scheffler and Tiger Woods comparisons, then it’s four-time major winner, Ernie Els.
Els was very much part of the era of Tiger Woods and it is a testament to his own brilliance that he pocketed four majors in that period.
Nevertheless, Woods was the dominant force for much of Els’ prime and while we’re not seeing quite the levels Woods showed in the modern game, Scottie Scheffler is not far off.
Scheffler was praised for his controlled golf in winning the PGA Championship last week and now, speaking about those Scheffler and Woods comparisons, the legendary Els has admitted there are indeed similarities.
Ernie Els says what Scottie Scheffler has that Tiger Woods also had
Els is preparing for this week’s Senior PGA Championship and is looking for a second win of 2025.
However, talk in his press conference prior to the event obviously got round to Scheffler and more, and when asked about the comparisons to Tiger Woods and how he dealt with facing Woods in his prime, Els admitted Scheffler is giving off similar vibes.
“No, it was a tough one, and I see the similarities now with Scheffler. Seems like he plays his best golf under the most extreme pressure, and that’s a hallmark of a champion. There’s more confidence that he’s getting by winning these tournaments. It’s only going to get tougher for the group following to try and get into that kind of mindset that he’s in,” Els admitted.
“I think Tiger brought that intensity. You guys were around in those days. You know, it was…you had your work cut out for you. I won four majors in his era, and there was a lot of other guys that won majors in that era, but we never got to the six, seven, eight. Mickelson did eventually; he got to six majors. But he had a hold on us.
“You knew you were in for a tough tournament when he was around, and I think that’s happening now with Scheffler.”
- READ MORE: Ernie Els tells Tiger Woods what he should do next in his golf career which ‘would be great to see’
What Steve Stricker said about competing against a Tiger Woods or Scottie Scheffler is like
With so many experienced pros at the Senior PGA event, they all had their chance to offer up opinions on some of the modern greats.
Of course, Steve Stricker is another player with bags of experience both as player and a team captain from the Ryder Cups.
And when he was asked similar to the question Els got, he admitted a very similar thought process.
“Well, you knew you had to usually beat that guy. Tiger back in the day and now it’s Scottie Scheffler currently. You know, or Rory, too. There’s a handful of guys that if they’re on their game, you’re going to really have to have something special to win that week. It seems to be Scottie or Rory or pretty much those two guys that are fighting for the top,” Stricker added.
“Yeah, it’s what makes you want to go practice, want to get better, and I’m sure those guys that are out there now watch Scottie, watch Rory. They need to get to work, right, to get better, and that was no different in my era with Tiger, with Ernie, Vijay. You watch those guys, and I’ve played with a bunch of those guys over the years and watched them play, and you’re like, geez, I don’t have that kind of game sometimes. It just drives you to continue to get better and try to improve so you can try to compete and win in those big tournaments.”
At the minute, we’re very much in a period where it seems like if Scottie Scheffler doesn’t win, then it’s because something hasn’t gone right.
With his form the last two events and a home event in Texas at the Charles Schwab this week, there is a realistic chance Scheffler makes it three in a row.
And if he does, then the rest of the PGA Tour needs to stand up and take notice because it could be a long, long, rest of the season for them.
Receive exclusive golf news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
