ATLANTA — When Tiger Woods birdied the 72nd hole at the 2008 U.S. Open to force a playoff against Rocco Mediate the next day, NBC Sports' Dan Hicks famously exclaimed, “You expect anything different?!”
The same could be said about this week's Tour Championship, where world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler went all the way to victory to claim his first FedExCup title and the $25 million that comes with it, and Scheffler also became the first player to win seven PGA Tour titles in a season since Woods did it in 2007, making the comparison even more obvious.
Scheffler's journey to history began in March at Bay Hill, where he decided to trade in his mallet for a Spider putter after struggling with the putting yips. He won that week and has been at the top of the FedEx Cup standings ever since. 25 weeks of fresh start for the PGA Tour record.
The following week, Scheffler won at TPC Sawgrass, becoming the first player to win The Players two years in a row. A month later, he won the Masters, not making a mistake the entire way while everyone else stumbled around him. Scheffler then went on to win the RBC Heritage, Memorial and Travelers Championship, further solidifying his status as the best player in the world.
But his final round, nine-under 62 at the Olympic Games, will live forever in sports legend. It is arguably one of the greatest rounds in history. It ranks alongside Johnny Miller's 63 at Oakmont in 1973, Tom Watson's 65 at Turnberry in 1977, Jack Nicklaus' 65 at Augusta in 1986 and Henrik Stenson's 63 at Royal Troon.
“I really can't put into words what this year has been like,” Scheffler said Sunday.
“I think the gold medal is really amazing. I can hear people yelling 'USA.' Even now, over a month after I won the gold medal, I can still hear people talking and yelling about it. It's really amazing. Like I said, I take a lot of pride in being an American, so I'm really happy to bring home the gold medal.”
As the national anthem was played, Schaeffler stood at the podium and appeared overcome with emotion as he recognised the importance of representing his country and his place in history.
But since Paris, Schaeffler hasn't been at his best. He competed for the win at the FedEx St. Jude in Memphis but never threatened. Then he had a frustrating few days at the BMW Championship, including some uncharacteristic attacks. He failed to break 71 on all four days and finished tied for 33rd.
Nonetheless, Scheffler arrived in Atlanta having led the FedExCup standings the past two seasons. Thanks to the starting stroke format now in use by the Tour Championship, Scheffler began the week at 10 under par, two strokes behind Xander Schauffele, who was having a great year. But Scheffler called the format “ridiculous” and said it puts a big target on his back. Scheffler's disdain for the format may stem from his failure to capitalize on two-stroke leads at the start of the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
However, that won't be the case this time.
After a bogey on the first hole Thursday, Scheffler came out in a big way, playing the final 17 holes of the first round at 7 under par and building a record seven-stroke lead over the field after 18 holes.
It's almost over.
“I try not to think too much about my starting stroke,” Scheffler said Thursday.
“I think it's still a little strange not being a traditional tournament, but yeah, it was good to start off well in the first round and I felt like a lot of things went well today.”
He continued his strong form over the final 54 holes, shooting 66-66-67 on the par-71 course to beat Collin Morikawa by four strokes.
“We've worked a lot to get to this point. It's been a long week,” Scheffler said Sunday.
“It's hard to put into words how I feel right now because I'm so tired, but it feels really special to finally get the trophy in my hands.”
The FedEx Cup looked like it was going to be Scheffler's to win, but he's always had a knack for entertaining the crowd. Whether it's his spectacular play from tee to green, his time in the Louisville Detention Center, or his three-putts from nine feet, Scheffler keeps the golf world on its toes.
He did it again Sunday on the seventh and eighth holes.
On the seventh hole, Scheffler hit a snap duck hook that nearly sent the ball out of bounds. His ragged drive bounced off the boundary fence and remained in play. It then leaned into an arborvita tree, creating a dangerous situation. Scheffler then positioned himself with half his body hidden by the tree and hit it down the fairway. He eventually had a five-foot shot left for par, but missed, giving him a four-stroke advantage on the tee of the eighth hole.
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Scheffler put his ball in a greenside bunker on this driveable par 4 before hitting a callous shank that sent it straight off the hosel. Scheffler bogeyed the eighth hole, but Morikawa made a birdie to cut his lead to two, his smallest since the sixth hole on Saturday.
But no one on the PGA Tour has bounced back better than Scheffler, another Tiger-like trait that makes him the best player in the world. Scheffler followed the shanking with three straight birdies to push his lead back up to five within minutes.
Caddie Ted Scott gave Scheffler a brief pep talk between the eighth and ninth holes, helping Scheffler regain his composure and refocus. The reigning Masters champion then took a 4-iron on the tricky par-3 ninth hole and hit his tee shot into five feet.
“Year nine was a big transition,” Scheffler said.
“Teddy gave me a good pep talk behind the green on the eighth hole. I was looking at him like, 'Man, I don't know. This isn't going well right now.' He gave me a little pep talk and then I hit some really good iron shots and it just picked me up.”
One of the reasons Scheffler has been so dominant is because of Scott, who is making nearly $6 million this season. It would be nice to win for the best player in the world, who is making nearly $70 million this year alone.
“I'm not going to give away all my secrets,” Scheffler said when asked what Scott said on the eighth green.
“But Teddy has always been my biggest supporter. I think the results when he picked up my bag and started helping me out say it all. He's really a big part of the team. I couldn't do anything without him on the bag. We have a great relationship. He has a habit of saying the right thing at the right time to make sure I'm in the right frame of mind.”
Scheffler again established a commanding lead with birdies on the ninth, 10th and 11th holes before finishing off the championship with an eagle on the par-5 14th. He even gave a little fist pump, knowing his tournament was over.
At that point, he was leading by five strokes with four holes to go, which meant it was time to get his name etched on the FedExCup trophy for the first time.
His closest rival, Morikawa, made a valiant effort to chase Tour Championship glory but couldn't get much further. If it weren't for the format, Morikawa would have actually won the tournament. He finished with a score of 22 under par, while Scheffler finished at 20 under par.
“He's unfazed by anything,” Morikawa said of Scheffler.
“It didn't matter if I was trying to get the upper hand or if he was trying to get the upper hand, it didn't change the way he walked, played or took the shot. It's something to learn from. I think his mental game is a lot stronger than a lot of people I know.”
That declaration sounds very similar to what many players said in the early to mid-2000s.
“I think players are thinking, 'How can I beat him?' It's the same factor that Tiger Woods had at his peak,” NBC Sports commentator Kevin Kisner said on the broadcast.
“Guys didn't want to be paired with him. They didn't know how to beat him. But Scotty is starting to get there.”
Indeed, Scheffler had a historic season, the kind of achievement only legendary players can muster.
“You're talking about the greatest season of all time, the pinnacle of seven-win seasons over the last 70 years: Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Johnny Miller, Tom Watson, Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh and now Scottie Scheffler,” Hicks said on NBC's broadcast Sunday.
“A season that may never be replicated again.”
It's almost incomprehensible that he'd won seven PGA Tour titles and a gold medal, but it's equally incomprehensible that he'd spent a short time in prison warming up for the second round of the PGA Championship. Of course, he shot 66 that Friday in May.
But through all the great plays, history-making moments and turmoil, Scheffler and his wife, Meredith, became parents this year — and that's the most important reality of all.
“I feel like I've lived almost a lifetime in the past year, which is pretty amazing,” Scheffler said.
“I think it really comes down to my faith. I think it keeps me grounded and in the right frame of mind.”
If he keeps that mindset, Scheffler will be winning and intimidating other players for years to come, just like Woods did 20 years ago.
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation Playing Through. Follow For more golf articles, follow us on Twitter Jack Mirko In the same way.
