“PRO” FILE – THE PLAYERS CHAMPIONSHIP WINNER SCOTTIE SCHEFFLER

While he doesn’t have the record of Tiger Woods – and frankly, likely never will – Scottie Scheffler has, for the past two years, played a lot like him. In fact, it can be fairly stated that his game is the equal of Woods’ in his prime save for one thing, and that is consistent excellency with the putter.

From tee-to-green, Scheffler has no peer on the PGA Tour. He has been number one in strokes-gained: tee-to-green 10 times in the past two years, while the next competitor has done that only three times. He has won eight out of his last 49 PGA Tour starts for a winning percentage of 16.3%. for context, Woods’ career winning percentage is just over 20% and Jack Nicklaus’ hovers around 11%, so Scheffler is indeed in rarified air. He also became the first player to successfully defend his Players Championship title, on the heels of a dominant 5-stroke win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

What’s curious about Scheffler’s game is that, while he was pegged for stardom at an early age and throughout college, few outside observers would have thought he would become so dominant. Putting was never his strong suit, but he has solved that problem, at least for the moment, by switching to a mallet putter. He also has a swing with footwork that is unique, but obviously, the ball has no idea what his feet are doing. At present, his peers are left scratching their heads over how to up their games to compete with golf’s latest dominant player.