Scottie Scheffler vs. Tiger Woods by the numbers: It’s closer than you think

All day Sunday, Scotty Scheffler had killer instincts.

Scheffler was a man on a mission, looking to win for the second consecutive week, or in this case, the second year in a row, at The Players.

He also resembled Tiger Woods in his prime. With his disciplined and systematic style of play, he chased another trophy while the players behind him succumbed to the pressure.

“I think it’s always really special when you get compared to Tiger, but this guy is isolated in our game,” Scheffler said after the win at TPC Sawgrass. “He really is.”

Sunday night wasn’t the first time the 2022 Masters champion was compared to Woods.

“I don’t remember the exact numbers, but this year I was playing at Riviera, and when I hit the tee ball, this guy yelled, ‘Congratulations on being number one Scotty!’ You have 11 more years to go,” Scheffler said. recalled.

“This is my eighth tournament win here. I tied him at the Players Championship. Other than that, I have 14 more majors and 70 or so PGA Tour events to play. I’m going to stick to my routine, keep planning, and try to stay as calm as possible.”

The reference to “11 more years” is in reference to Scheffler’s rise to the top-ranked player in the world. He has maintained his esteemed position for 74 weeks in his career so far, which equates to approximately 18 months.

Meanwhile, Woods held the world No. 1 spot for 683 weeks, or about 13 years and one month.

In reality, that means Schaeffler will have to maintain that top spot for just under 11 years.

But as Scheffler himself pointed out, he has a long way to go before he can even come close to, let alone match, Woods’ career.

Still, the comparison between Woods and Scheffler certainly carries some weight.

Scottie Scheffler vs. Tiger Woods by the numbers

The strokes gained metric speaks for itself.

During the 2022-23 PGA Tour season, Scheffler posted an average tee-to-green stroke gain of 2.614, second all-time behind Woods’ 2006 season (2.982).

(It’s worth noting: Strokes gained began in 2003, otherwise Woods’ 2000 season would have ranked even higher than his 2006 season.)

Photo credit: Keyur Khamar/PGA Tour, Getty Images

This year, Scheffler averaged 2.83 strokes gained from tee to green in the 22 rounds he played on the PGA Tour.

He’s been better so far this year, which is quite a compliment considering how he played a season ago.

In 2023, Scheffler played in 23 events on the PGA Tour. He finished in the top five 13 times, including a tie for second at the PGA Championship and solo third at the U.S. Open.

If he doesn’t win, as Woods has many times, he’s right there. Scheffler, like Woods at his peak, never came close to missing out on a spot before the season.

The same can be said for this season.

Scheffler’s worst performance so far in 2024 came at American Express, an absolute string of birdies over three courses. The tournament was the first won by an amateur since 1991, and Scheffler finished tied for 17th at 21 under par.

Since then, Scheffler tied for sixth at Pebble Beach, was three shots out of the playoffs at Phoenix, tied for 10th at Riviera, and then won back-to-back races at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and TPC Sawgrass.

Looks a lot like a tiger, doesn’t it?

Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images

But the comparison doesn’t end there.

Scheffler remained calm throughout Sunday’s final round at The Players, hitting fairways and greens while avoiding trouble at every corner. He only missed the fairway on two holes, the first and seventh, and held par on both.

He didn’t make a bogey either, but the trio of Windham Clark, Xander Schauffele and Brian Herman, who finished one stroke behind him, combined for six.

This ultimately cost these players a chance at glory at TPC Sawgrass. But it didn’t cost Scheffler.

He just doesn’t make mistakes and the statistics prove it.

So far this season, Scheffler ranks first on the PGA Tour in bogey avoidance, dropping just 7.61 percent of his shots. Woods’ bogey avoidance rate in 2006 was 12.18%.

When Scheffler gets the green light, rather than make a mistake, he fires into the flagpole. Just like Woods did in his prime. Like every round, the former Texas Longhorn sets himself up admirably for multiple opportunities.

Despite his putter woes, Scheffler has made birdie or better on 31.48% of the holes he has played in 2024, which ranks first on the PGA Tour. Clark ranks second to Scheffler by almost two percentage points.

In 2006, Woods’ birdie or better percentage was 27.14%, which was No. 1 on tour.

Photo by Peter Byrne/Getty Images

Scheffler flexes the clutch gene similar to Woods

But another statistical comparison between Woods and Scheffler has to do with their clutch genes.

In 2006, Woods’ average final round score was 68.75 points. He won seven times, including consecutive wins at the British Open and PGA Championship. What makes this even more impressive is that these two of his major championships were achieved on the heels of a miss at the US Open in Winged His Foot. That week, Woods was grieving. His father and mentor Earl passed away a few weeks ago.

So far this season, Scheffler’s average final-round score is 66.43, highlighted by Sunday’s exquisite 8-under 64 at TPC Sawgrass.

He showed up regularly when it mattered most, and did so on consecutive Sundays as well. Last week’s final round at Bay Hill had an average score of 73.14, the highest of the four rounds.

Photo credit: Keyur Khamar/PGA Tour (Getty Images)

There, Scheffler carded one of the best rounds of the year while competing against many other players. In windy conditions, he shot a 6-under 66 to win by five.

Talking about the clutch.

Interestingly, Scheffler switched to a mallet putter in the days leading up to Bay Hill. He’s now 2-for-2 with his new putter, which should set him in stone for the rest of the tour.

He’ll probably go 3-3 at the Texas Children’s Open in Houston, where he next plays.

after that? The world’s best players, including those at LIV Golf, head to Augusta National for the Masters. All eyes will be on Schaeffler, including those on the Saudi-backed circuit. Scheffler will have more chances than anyone else to wear the green jacket.

Certainly, it wouldn’t surprise anyone if he went on to win at Augusta.

But should we be surprised that Scheffler is playing so well?

Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through.Be sure to check it out @_PlayingThrough Cover more golf. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko In the same way.