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Scottie Scheffler is in a class of his own.
The World No. 1 golfer is the heavy favorite to win this weekend’s U.S. Open. In fact, he has the lowest odds of anybody in a major since Tiger Woods at the 2009 PGA Championship (it remains the only time Woods lost a 54-hole lead in a major).
Scheffler is the only other player to be the No. 1-ranked player in the world for more than 100 consecutive weeks. Of course, Woods holds the top-two longest stretches of 281 and 264, so Scheffler has a long way to go.
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Scottie Scheffler celebrates winning the TOUR Championship golf tournament. (John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports)
But if anyone in the game of golf is going to draw comparisons to the 15-time major winner among pro golfers, it’s Scheffler.
“Everyone’s looking at Scottie right now and how consistent he is. When he doesn’t win, he’s in the top five. That’s very difficult to do,” Jason Day, a former World No. 1, said in a recent interview with Fox News Digital.
Scheffler had one of the greatest seasons in PGA history last year with eight wins, including the Masters and Olympics, making an all-time record $54 million in prize money – if 2024 Scottie Scheffler were its own player, it’d be the 14th-largest career earnings ever, and he’s already in second place, behind Woods.
He’s followed that up with three wins this year, including his third major in the PGA Championship. In 12 events played, he has nine top 10s and has yet to finish outside the top 20.
Day said Woods “was a different beast.” But we are “potentially, for sure” “seeing someone build himself into the next Tiger.”
Tiger Woods wins the Masters in April 2019. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)
FORMER WORLD NO 1 RECREATES OAKMONT’S CONDITIONS AT HOME AS HE SEEKS FIRST MAJOR WIN IN NEARLY A DECADE
“I know how dominant Tiger was back in the day when I first started playing, so I’m not going to say anything in terms of how far Scottie’s got to go and what he has to do in his career, but we’re starting to see Scottie forming himself into potential greatness and one of the best of all time,” Day said. “Let’s just sit back and watch it, he’s great. And priorities change. You have kids, other business interests, injuries, a lot of things can happen in your life. But he seems like he’s very balanced from when he’s on and off the course. He’s a competitive guy, he loves competing, and you can see it when he plays golf.”
At one point, it looked like Day would do what Scheffler is doing now. At a point, he kind of was.
In 17 events from July 26, 2015, to May 15 the following year, Day won seven of those, including his lone major in the PGA Championship. He won four of his final seven starts of the 2015 season and won three of his first 10.
Since then, injuries have taken a toll on Day, who is currently ranked 39th and has just two wins since 2016. He’s found his form recently with some better finishes amid grinding through his injuries. Does he look at Scheffler and get jealous?
“The easy answer is you can’t be jealous because you’re not in that position,” he said. “If you put yourself in that position where you can win all the time, then it’s easy to put yourself there. But I was talking to Tiger one time, talking about getting inside the top 50, and he goes, ‘I have an idea for you. Play better.’ You can be jealous if you’re seeing someone else succeed if you’re not putting in the work. But if you’re putting in the work, some guys are just better than you. But if you’re sitting back saying, ‘That should be me,’ and not putting in the work, then you’ve got to re-evaluate things in your life.”
Scottie Scheffler hits a tee shot on the 11th hole prior to the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Country Club on May 14, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
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Day will be at Oakmont this weekend, aiming to end that 10-year major drought. He catered his home to the viral Oakmont conditions, but he’s also feeling pretty good.
“Being No. 1 in the world, I knew how hard it was to get there, the work and effort and distractions that came with it. It’s hard to sit there and say injuries have taken me out of some momentum, but a career is very long. I’m trying to get these recent injuries behind me, and if I can have some healthy years and hit the ball hard, focus on what I need to do, hopefully I’ll give myself a chance to challenge some of the best in the world.”
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