Does the golf world have a new wizard? Scottie Scheffler is being compared to Woods

Golf fans and pundits alike have turned up the heat. It looks like someone dominant from the glory days of Tiger Woods could be back on the scene after all these years. Twenty-five year old American golfer Scottie Scheffler has been the world number one for a few months, now he has claimed his glory even more by winning the Masters.

Something tells us that Scheffler probably won’t just be a mere rank-and-file player on the US PGA Tour. After all, he has already managed to impress the golf world enough about his prospects.

It’s only been two months since he won his first PGA Tour tournament, the WM Phoenix Open, on February 13, 2022. A one-time fluke? No way. Less than a month later, he dominated the famous Arnold Palmer tournament, and in another three weeks he was celebrating for the third time in Austin, Texas.

It took just 42 days to become number one in the world rankings after his first triumph. By comparison, it took Tiger Woods 252 days to reach the same mark in 1996. That in itself is a unique feat that will be hard to beat in the years to come.

Most of the attention will be on the budding global phenomenon now that he has won the world’s most famous Masters tournament. Not that he didn’t enjoy the popularity of American fans before the tournament, but winning this tournament is practically a lifetime ticket to the golfing elite.

FAME AND MEDIA INTEREST

Of course, not every big media and fan push has to be handled legitimately. When America has its hero, it doesn’t give him much room to breathe. Taking to the streets at the height of fame is quite a feat for a famous athlete.

The young golfer has been raising his bankroll in recent weeks, too. At the moment, Scheffler has surpassed $10 million in earnings for 13 starts in the current season, cashing in a fabulous $2.7 million just for winning the Masters.

Just for comparison, for all of last season, top player Jon Rahm earned 7.7 million. Plus, Scheffler has a number of lucrative tournaments ahead of him this year that even exceed the earnings at the Masters for winning. With his current pace, he can’t be expected to suddenly get stuck.

Moreover, the American golfer appears very calm on the course. After his triumph at the Masters, he said he was having a lot of trouble before the final round, seeking solace at his wife Meredith’s hotel. Although he cried the night before his big win at the most famous tournament, you wouldn’t have known it on the course the next day. He was running like a well-oiled machine.

Overall, Scheffler comes across as very humble. When asked by the media before the Masters what kind of person he is, he replied, “Ask my wife. I’m just a good golfer.” Far better than he could ever have imagined, even according to himself.

Supposedly, he has only ever played golf because he enjoyed it, without ever having any major ambitions. Now he’s a world number one and an honorary Masters winner. Scottie Scheffler’s expectations are high right now. If he can bear the weight of his growing fame, we may have a player who will conquer the golf world for the first time since the era of the unbeaten Tiger Woods.

Source: PGA Tour