Scottie Scheffler has been the world number one for so long now that breaking one of Tiger Woods’ most impressive records is a possibility.
The 28-year-old initially became world number one on March 27, 2022, after beating Kevin Kisner in the final of the WGC Match Play.
His first reign as the best golfer on the planet lasted 30 weeks before Rory McIlroy surpassed him, while his next two stints lasted one and four weeks, respectively.
However, the duration of Scheffler’s ongoing time at the pinnacle of the sport is almost two years. Here’s what he makes of it.
Scottie Scheffler speaks about Tiger Woods’ consecutive weeks as world number one record
Scheffler has now held the number one spot in the Official World Golf Ranking for 97 weeks after claiming it on May 21, 2023.
It became the third-longest run in the history of the sport, ahead of Greg Norman’s 96 weeks in the late 1990s, after his solid finish at the Players Championship.
The top two (264 and 281), which both belong to Woods, are still a few years away, but you couldn’t blame Scheffler for thinking about it.
That’s not how he operates, though, as he dismissed the importance of his latest achievement ahead of the Houston Open.
“I mean, is it a nice accomplishment? Yes. I think it’s something cool to see from some good starts I’ve had in the last couple of years. You know, I definitely put in a lot of work to have that type of achievement.
“Tiger’s still got the record by about like eight years or something like that. No, not really thinking about it too much, but at the end of the day, each tournament is a tournament, and you start even par.
“Showing up here being No. 1 in the world doesn’t do me any good; it just simply doesn’t. At the end of the day, I’m focused on the tournament and the task at hand. The rankings are the rankings, I don’t really care what they are.”
Scottie Scheffler reflects on Rory McIlroy’s target to take world number one ranking
The closest man to Scheffler in the world rankings is Rory McIlroy, who has significantly closed the gap with wins at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am and The Players.
And the Northern Irishman has even admitted himself that knocking Scheffler off the top spot is one of his ambitions. Once again, he didn’t seem too bothered when asked about it.
Scheffler explained: “Well, I think when you’re a competitive guy like Rory is, I think you’re always looking for some source of motivation. He’s got significantly more tournament wins than I do, and he has more major wins. I guess up until last week I technically had more Players wins.
“I think when you’re a great player like that, you’re always looking for sources of motivation, especially as you get a bit older.
“You know, he’s been out here for a long time, and I think sometimes it can get a bit redundant playing the same events over and over, and any source of motivation you can have when you’re such a great player, I think, is a good thing. Is it weird for me? No, I don’t really think about it.”
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