Even those who believe that golf will not see another Tiger Woods must admit that the comparisons between himself and Scottie Scheffler have never been more valid after his victory at The Open Championship on Sunday.
It is 25 years since Tiger Woods completed the Career Grand Slam at The Open Championship at St Andrews. Scottie Scheffler marked the occasion by winning his fourth major title at the same event, with the world number one now just needing the US Open to complete the set himself.
Of course, golf has seen so many world-class players dominate over the spell of a couple of years and threaten to put themselves among the all-time greats. And many will be wary of recency bias before assessing what level Scheffler could reach.
But the 29-year-old’s consistency over the last three years has been truly remarkable. The 2024 season was the only one in the last four in which Scheffler has failed to register at least two top three finishes at the majors.
Scottie Scheffler backed to reach double figures for major victories after clinching The Open Championship
He is now one adrift of Rory McIlroy. Meanwhile, it is difficult to ignore the fact that Woods won his fourth major in his 21st event, while Scheffler has done it in 25.
There is not a golf course which does not appear to suit Scheffler. And speaking on the Golf Channel Podcast, Ryan Lavner believes that it is entirely possible that he will go on and reach double figures over the course of his career.
“Scottie does seem built for the long haul. Not just with his golf swing and what he does particularly well. Not just because of the steadiness of his off course life, as well. I think when you put all of that together you are looking at a player who can continue to do this for 10 or 15 years,” he said.
“We have seen players have spurts to pick off most of their major championships. Spieth had a spurt, Koepka had a spurt, DJ had a spurt. At least until The Masters this year Rory McIlroy had a spurt. This does not seem like a spurt for Scottie Scheffler.
“When you look and forecast for Scottie, he is the best iron player in the world. There is no tournament on the planet that emphasises that attribute more than Augusta National.
“Scottie was fourth this year at The Masters with nowhere near his best stuff and Rory McIlroy even admitted as much. He said he picked off his three wins in early 2025 when Scottie was still recovering and getting into game mode after that random and flukey entry.
“The PGA Championship is a complete examination of a player’s skills. He is the best driver of the golf ball, he is the best iron player, elite scrambler and now an above average putter. This sounds like a complete examination to me.
“US Open is historically going to be set up dependent. If it’s a driver test Scottie can do that well. If it’s a scrambling test he can perform well.
“He has all of the mental strength and temperament and steadiness to excel in that championship, and I think his record reflects that. He had a great opportunity despite missing virtually every opportunity inside 10 feet on those notoriously treacherous greens just last month at Oakmont.
“Obviously The Open, particularly when it’s calm, is a ball strikers examination and with the skills that he has, which the emphasis on ball control, Scottie can do that.
“That is a long way of saying I think he is probably going to get to 10. I don’t see any reason, barring injury or life change or lack of desire, that I think he can probably get to 10 which is outrageous in this era.”
Why Scottie Scheffler may find the Career Grand Slam easier to complete than Rory McIlroy
Given how difficult McIlroy found completing the Career Grand Slam, some may be wondering whether it really will be so easy for Scheffler to get across the line in a tournament where he has two top five finishes already.
However, there is arguably one significant difference between McIlroy’s quest to win a green jacket and Scheffler’s wait to land the US Open.
Augusta National is unique on the golfing calendar. The Masters is the only major in the men’s game which returns to the same golf course every single year. So there were so many ghosts for McIlroy to banish when he returned every single year.
Scheffler does not have any of those same scars. For example, he was not in the field when Shinnecock hosted the US Open in 2018. So he has little reason to worry about next year’s event which returns to New York.
No one would have imagined that McIlroy would have to wait another 11 years to win a fifth major title when he triumphed at the 2014 PGA Championship.
Plenty will be thinking that Scheffler may not need another 11 months before he wins his fifth.
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