Scheffler has done the almost impossible and has consolidated his supremacy! He already has what the legendary Tiger Woods did not

Professional golf has always had someone in its time who was superior to everyone else. Whether it was Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus or, at the turn of the millennium, Tiger Woods. The label of the dominant player of this generation will probably be worn by Scottie Scheffler. At the Olympic tournament in Paris, he very much underlined his dominance and his position as world number one.

The 28-year-old New Jersey native couldn’t fight back tears Sunday night as a fresh Olympic gold medal dangled around his neck. As much as Scheffler looks like a machine on the court, stone-faced and emotionless, he let his emotions loose after the tournament.

He likes to describe himself as simply trying to play golf the best he can. Nothing more, nothing less. He makes the game look completely banal. In the final round, he gives the impression that he’s just gone out for a round of golf with his friends.

For most of the tournament at Golf National en Yvelines near Paris, Scheffler did not make much of an impression. He kept his opponents in the forefront, didn’t mess up or really excel. Halfway through the final round, it looked like Jon Rahm was going to go for Olympic gold in a dry trick.

A big comeback and a big fall

Still on the tenth hole, Scheffler was six strokes behind Rahm. At that point, the DataGolf computer model generated only a 0.4 percent chance of Scheffler winning. For Rahm, the path was cleared; the computer said it was 90.2 percent certain that the Spaniard would not let the gold slip away.

But then Jon Rahm started making incomprehensible mistakes. And while the Spanish player was facing the worst passage of the entire tournament, Scheffler turned on the engines to unprecedented speed. The American played the second nine in -6, while Rahm chopped a total of four strokes over par in the crucial section. And that’s counting a birdie on ten.

That’s just for context, to give a sense of the incredible victory Scheffler achieved in the five-under tournament on Sunday.

He didn’t let the extremely noisy atmosphere get him down. Just like in normal sports like football or hockey, the European fans were very loud. They shouted, they cheered, they cheered. But it had no effect on Scheffler’s game. He just sensed his chance after Rahm’s hesitation, shifted up a gear and went for the gold.

He’s already got what Tiger Woods didn’t

Scheffler is experiencing things he never dreamed possible. He’s No. 1 in the season FedEx Cup, No. 1 in the world rankings, won his second Masters this year, had a son a short time later and now he’s taking home Olympic gold from Paris.

He has often been compared to Tiger Woods from the start, yet they have little in common. Except that they are both American and both love golf.

Tiger hit the big time practically as a child. An immature boy, he shaped himself under the weight of fame and huge public interest into an immortal legend of the sport. Even considering that Scheffler made his mark on the elite scene at a much more advanced age, he will probably never catch up to Tiger Woods’ 82 wins and 15 major titles.

Although… never say never. In the middle of the Olympic final, no one believed Scheffler could still win either.

Whatever the future holds, one thing is certain. Scheffler has Olympic gold, while Woods will never have it. He had the misfortune of ruling the world at a time when golf at the Olympics was a mere dream for professional players.

It’s hard to know how far Scheffler will take his trophy collection. He’s certainly not going to slow down just yet. He’s been at the top of the world rankings for 99 weeks and he’s not likely to fall off. The points he gained from the Olympic Tournament strengthen his position.

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