New Delhi: Tiger Woods is the gold standard and much more in modern golf, considering his numbers, combativeness and sheer longevity despite the spate of injuries wrought by his punishing approach off the tee and the distraction of personal turmoil.
However, Scheffler, who has won the Jack Nicklaus Award the last four years is now almost certain to make it five-in-a-row after two wins in a fortnight. He took the game truly global by the sheer weight of his performances and personality. Golf was never the same once he began reeling off victories, making contemporaries shrink. Even for a PGA Tour in robust health, Scheffler is the man it sees to deliver golf far and wide by his sheer performances. In a video posted by the tour on X, Woods puts his own game next to Scheffler’s. The most distinct feature, though, has been his unique tee shot, where the right foot drags and the body appears to be all over the place. So, Woods versus Scheffler? “I see it differently. My game was very violent at times…He slid on it (iron play), I snapped on it.”
Woods won his first Major in 1997, and his 15th and last in 2019, which came 11 years after notching up Major No.14. But for his body breaking down, he surely would have gone past the PGA Tour win record of 82 he shares with Sam Snead. The St Jude Championship, the first of the three playoffs, followed by his second Tour Championship victory — a 3-shot win after being 3 shots behind on the final day — was a masterclass of control and precision on an unforgiving East Lake Club course in Atlanta.
Because of a serious car accident, he is the golfing superman every current great must bear comparison to, considering his final Major, and fifth Masters title in 2019 game achieved despite a body repaired on various occasions, and being forced out only.
PGA Tour has seen off the existential threat from LIV Golf, but world No.1 Scottie Scheffler’s rise has helped feature a player whom the world would love to watch every time he tees off. There were just murmurs whether Scheffler’s phenomenal level was just dropping off a tad. The putter went cold at times within a tournament. With slow starts, those close misses made the difference despite invariably strong finishes. But Scheffler never went off the rear view of the player ahead. Five runner-up finishes – two in playoffs – and fourth three times showed the glass was almost always to the brim. Justin Thomas was among those who thought aloud about the contenders for the PGA Tour Player of the Year this time.
