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Scottie Scheffler has plenty to smile about after another stellar season (Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
On the day he passed Tiger Woods as the PGA Tour’s all-time official money winner — admittedly a poor comparison in any era — Scottie Scheffler was described in a way that reminds so much of the player who set so many unreal standards.
Scheffler won the Tour Championship on Sunday at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, coming from three back of Viktor Hovland to defeat the Norwegian by three and win his second FedEx Cup title.
Hovland noted afterward a simple formula for Scheffler’s success.
“He knows where the ball’s going,” Hovland said. “I don’t think he’s trying to do too much with it. I think he knows that he’s got an edge on most guys out here. So he doesn’t have to do anything crazy. He can play smart and just kind of pick his spots, stay in it constantly.
“Today it wasn’t like anybody else really played all that great in contention, and that’s what you see, a lot of guys just gagging and throwing up, and that’s where he just kind of stays in it and shoots a nice score. That gets the job done.”
Sounds a lot like what they used to say about Tiger Woods.
Scheffler shot a Sunday-best final-round 66 at East Lake. After shooting 72, Hovland noted he needed only to shoot 1-under-par 69 to force a playoff. After getting to 15 under through three rounds, he couldn’t put together another strong one to win a second FedEx title to go with the one he captured in 2023.
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Scheffler joined Rory McIlroy and Woods as the only players in the 20-year history of the FedEx Cup postseason system to win multiple titles.
Hovland’s description of Scheffler sounded eerily similar to the way Woods so often won. Sure, the 15-time major winner who is tied for the PGA Tour lead with 82 wins often was victorious in awe-inspiring fashion.
But he also won his share of tournaments by wearing everyone else down around him. He played steady … they didn’t … he won.
It’s a lot like Scheffler has been doing for the last four years in now racking up 22 PGA Tour wins, tying him for 29th all-time with Raymond Floyd, Johnny Ferrell and Jim Barnes.
And it’s amazing to consider some of the World Golf Hall of Fame players he’s already passed: Davis Love III (21), Lanny Wadkins (21), Hale Irwin (20) and Greg Norman (20) just to name a few.
He’s just three wins behind Johnny Miller and seven behind Lee Trevino.
Not that Scheffler was thinking about any of that history last week.
“I think just playing tournament golf, I think is a battle as a whole,” said Scheffler, who won for the third time this year and second time in three weeks. “I think that’s part of why I love it, too. I get to play against the course, myself. You have to learn how to handle your emotions, handle pressure, not take days off. That’s something I’m very proud of.
“I feel like I hold myself to a high standard, which I think sometimes can be good and bad. I feel like at times I probably could be a bit of a pain to be around when things aren’t going the way they should. I don’t feel like I take days off. I’m highly competitive, and I’m very proud of being able to have the consistent results I’ve had over the years.”
There’s no doubt that Scheffler showed a more grumpy side at times this year. Such as when he was finishing outside of the top 20 at both the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Players Championship. When he put together three consecutive runner-up finishes. When he lost to Hovland in a playoff at the Travelers Championship. Scheffler actually missed a cut this year, at the Scottish Open — his first in nearly four years.
There were times when Scheffler was questioned about what was wrong ... when really nothing was, something to which Woods was often subjected and could relate. The standards simply were and are that high.
In 20 starts, along with the three wins, Scheffler had five runner-ups and five more third- or fourth-place finishes. That’s nothing worse than fourth in 65 percent of his starts in 2026. He’s doubled his lead over No. 2 McIlroy in the Official World Golf Ranking.
For the record, Scheffler now has earned $130,390,661 in official PGA Tour prize money after getting $10 million from the $40 million Tour Championship purse. Woods has been sitting on $120,999,166 since 2024.
