After Scottie Scheffler’s historic 2024 campaign coming on the heels of a 2023 season where he posted 17 Top-10’s in 23 starts, including 2 wins, a runner-up at The PGA and 2 more major Top-10’s, the inevitable Jack and Tiger comparisons began to sprout.
The notion that Scottie could mount a serious challenge to the career numbers accumulated by the two greatest players in history, however, still seemed nothing more than fantasy.
With his powerful start to the 2025 season, including a Top-5 at The Masters in April, a PGA Championship victory in May, and his win at The Memorial two weeks ago, the odds that Scheffler will etch his name among the 5 greatest players of All-Time when his career comes to a close have increased dramatically—and matching or even surpassing Tiger and Jack have become a real possibility.
The Beginning
Scottie came out on the PGA Tour in the Fall of 2019 at 23 years old after a year on the Korn Ferry Tour, where he recorded 10 Top-10’s in 20 starts with 2 wins. He was fast out of the gate, recording 4 Top-10s and 2 Top-20’s in his first 9 events without missing a cut, and it looked like he was getting ready to roll with a 3rd place finish at the American Express Championship in late January of 2020—and then the pandemic hit and blew everything up.
As COVID began to sweep across the country, Scottie missed the cut in 2 of the next 5 events he played without recording a Top-10—until the Tour closed completely with cancellation of The Players Championship.
When the season resumed amid a shut-down world devoid of live fans, Scottie missed the cut in 3 of the first 4 events, and just as he started to get going again with Top-5 finishes at the PGA and Tour Championships, he was forced to withdraw from the rescheduled U.S. Open in September after a positive COVID test.
Tiger was 21 when he started his pursuit of Jack with a two-year head start on Scottie. He had already won 2 major championships along with 13 Tour wins by the time he was 23, so Scheffler had a lot of ground to make up if he hoped to catch him–even before the Pandemic put him that much deeper in the hole.
Scottie Starts To Roll
Scheffler began to find his footing again in 2021 with Top-10’s in 3 of the 4 Majors, and then started rolling in ’22 with his first career win at the WM Phoenix Open in February, followed by a T10 at the Genesis, wins at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Dell Match Play Championship in March, and his first major championship victory at The Masters in April.
In 2023 Scottie throttled up further with 17 Top-10 finishes in 23 starts, including a T2 at The PGA Championship, 3rd at The U.S. Open, a T-10 at The Masters—and 2 more wins including back-to-back in Phoenix and a dominating victory at The Players Championship.
Back To Back Wins at the Players
While it would seem almost impossible to surpass 2023, the season Scheffler put together in 2024 stands among the greatest in history, with 16 Top-10’s in 19 starts without missing a cut and 7 wins including a second Masters championship, back-to-back wins at The Players, a T8 at the PGA and a T7 at The Open Championship.
The Chase Begins
Thus far in 2025 Scottie has recorded 9 Top-10’s in 12 starts without missing a cut, including a 4th at The Masters and his third major championship at the PGA.
While it may seem that Scottie is a long way behind Jack’s 18 major titles and Tiger’s 15, keep in mind that Scheffler is only 28 years old and only now entering his prime.
Including this week’s U.S. Open, Scottie will have 46 more major championships by the time he reaches 40 years old, and if he maintains his current pace will add 7 more majors for a total of 10—putting him solidly among the top 5 greatest of all time.
Keep in mind though that the projection of 10 major wins through 40 does not take into account that Scottie has elevated his performance each year, and if his current trajectory continues, 10 may well be a pretty conservative number (and both Jack and Tiger added an additional major after 40 years old as well).
Should Scottie win this weekend at Oakmont, his winning percentage at the majors will move up from 14.3% to 18.2%–pretty darn close to Jack and Tiger.
The U.S. Open is always one of the best weeks of the year for golf, and watching Scheffler set his sights on history is guaranteed to make for compelling theater.
If you’re looking for great golf where you are or where you’re going, the GolfDay Search Enginemakes it easy to find the best courses and a better bang for your buck.
Pete Dye first became well known when he collaborated with Jack Nicklaus to design Harbour Town Golf Links at The Sea Pines Resort in 1969–the iconic venue for the PGA Tour’s RBC Heritage. In the 1970’s, Dye crafted a great many wonderful courses, including The Cardinal in North Carolina and The River Course at Kingsmill Resort in Virginia (both in 1974).
Harbour Town Golf Links, SC
TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, however, was the work that launched Pete Dye into the stratosphere of golf course architecture. Dean Beaman, former commissioner of the PGA Tour, had conceived the Tournament Players Championship in 1974 as the Tour’s flagship event, and it gained notoriety through the decade with powerful fields as Jack Nicklaus, greatest player in the world, won 3 of the first 5.
TPC Sawgrass, FL
Beaman wanted to elevate the tournament still further however, and to do that he needed a permanent venue that could stand with the four majors and support world class golf at the very highest level—so he turned to Pete Dye.
Not only did he want a course that would be a very stiff test for the world’s greatest players, he also wanted breathtaking visual appeal for a growing television market, as well as viewing areas that would maximize the experience for fans—a “stadium course.”
Pete Dye
Dye delivered precisely what Dean Beaman envisioned, incorporating risk and reward throughout the layout to build excitement and drama, creating a canvas to capture a multitude of memorable moments that would live on in history and become “The Players.”
Ocean Course, Kiawah Island, SC
In addition to his masterpiece at TPC Sawgrass, Pete Dye designs have become the backbone of the PGA Championship rotation beginning with Crooked Stick in 1991, as well as Whistling Straits, Kohler WI in 2004 and 2015, and the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island, SC in 2012 and 2021).
Pete Dye designed well over 100 courses throughout his illustrious career, and more than half of them are open to public play (Pete Dye-Public).
If you are looking for great public golf, or planning a vacation, the GolfDay Search Engine makes it easy to find the best courses and a better bang for your buck.
Course Architects: Pete Dye/Jack Nicklaus/George Cobb/Clyde Johnston/Davis Love III/Scot Sherman
USGA Course/Slope Rating
Harbour Town Links 79.5/152
Heron Point 74.8/140
Atlantic Dunes 74.3/143
Practice Facilities: Grass Driving Ranges with Targets (2-Harbour Town and Heron Point/Ocean), Putting and Chipping Greens with Bunkers. Range Balls and Fore Caddie (Harbour Town) included with Greens Fee.
Holes: 45 (2 Eighteen Hole Courses: Pete Dye/Donald Ross and Nine Hole Walking Course (Valley Links)
Course Architects: Tom Bendelow/Hal Purdy/Pete Dye/Donald Ross/Sandy Alves/Lee Schmidt
USGA Course/Slope Rating
Dye 80.5/151
Ross 75.7/149
Valley Links 35.4/121
Practice Facilities: Grass Driving Range with Targets (2-Dye and Valley Links), Putting and Chipping Greens with Bunker. Warm Up Net with Putting and Chipping Green (Ross).
Course Architects: Greg Norman/Tad Burnett/Davis Love III/Tom Fazio/Pete Dye
USGA Course/Slope Rating
Norman: 74.2/141
Love: 74.9/141
Fazio: 73.4/144
Dye: 76.0/143
Practice Facilities: Lighted and Covered Grass Driving Range with Targets, Putting and Chipping Greens with Bunker. Dyer and Greg Norman Golf Academies.
Practice Facilities: Extensive including 2 Grass Driving Ranges with Targets, Putting and Chipping Greens with Bunkers. On Site Lodging is Not available, Golf Packages and Accommodations through MGM Resorts.
Course Architect: Fred Findlay/Arnold Palmer/Ed Seay/Pete Dye
USGA Course/Slope Rating: 74.1/138
Practice Facilities: Grass Driving Range with Targets and Fairway Bunker, Putting and Chipping Greens with Bunker. Range Balls included with Greens Fee.
Course Architect: Pete Dye/Arnold Palmer/Ed Seay/Edmund Ault/Brian Ault/Tom Clark/Curtis Strange
USGA Course/Slope Rating:
River: 73.2/136
Plantation: 70.9/130
Woods: 72.2/133
Practice Facilities: Driving Range with Targets and Fairway Bunker (Grass Thursday-Sunday, Mats Monday-Wednesday), Putting and Chipping Greens with Bunkers. Range Balls included with Greens Fee.
The GolfDay rating is based on a variety of criteria, including the stature of the architect(s) who did the original design(s), updates that have been done on the course(s), USGA Course and Slope Ratings, current local and national rankings by Golf Digest and Golfweek, the quality and diversity of practice facilities, general course conditioning and current reviews. The resort rating also includes a factor for the variety of courses located at the property as well as the quality of accommodations and level of service.
There are twenty-six active players among the all-time Top 100 golfers, with Tiger leading the list as he continues his pursuit of Jack Nicklaus for #1.
Tiger will be 49 years old when the 2025 season gets under way, and it appears that injuries suffered in the 2021 auto accident combined with ongoing back issues will ultimately keep him from overtaking Nicklaus.
Don’t try telling that to Tiger though–he just underwent another surgery to alleviate persistent back spasms that slowed him in 2024 with every intention of playing more tour events in ’25 and getting competitive again in the majors.
Clock’s winding down for Tiger
Tiger holds a pretty good lead over Jack in tour wins, and he is very close to Nicklaus in cut and top 10 percentage, but Jack’s 3 additional major wins along with his tremendous number of major top 10’s make it seemingly impossible for Tiger to run him down at this point.
Even should Tiger coax another major championship from his battered body, he would still come up just a bit shy—unless he could also add another tour win and a major top 10 or two.
It’s a long shot, but then again betting against Tiger Woods has never been a wise thing to do.
Scottie Scheffler: Date With History
Scottie
With 7 wins including a Masters Championship, no missed cuts and 16 top-10’s in 19 starts, Scheffler’s 2024 season was among the greatest of all-time.
And Scottie’s ’23 season was pretty fantastic as well, with 2 wins and 17 top-10’s (including 3 major top-10’s).
Scheffler ended the 2022 season at #112 among the greatest players of all-time, jumping to #97 in 2023 and he now stands at #60—while Scottie won’t turn 30 years old until 2026. If he continues at this pace, Jack and Tiger will start to see him in the rearview coming on fast in the not-too distant future.
Xander Jumps With Pair of Major Wins
Xander
Xander Schauffele is no slouch either, with 2 major championship victories in 2024 and 26 top-10’s in the last 2 seasons (including 4 major top 10’s in addition to the wins).
Schauffele ended the ’22 season at #94, moved to #85 in 2023 and jumped all the way to #68 with his 2 majors and a boat load of additional T-10’s.
At 30 years old, Xander has plenty of time to build his record—and all-time top 10 is by no means out of reach.
Rory Still Has Time
Rory
Everyone talks about the fact that McIlroy has not won a major in almost ten years, but he is still just 35 years old, looks as fit as he did when he was twenty (perhaps even more so), and still drives it better than anybody.
After the 2022 season Rory stood at #21 and moved past Cary Middlecoff and Lee Trevino to #19 in 2023. While 2024 was a disappointment, particularly the painful loss at the U.S. Open, Rory still made 18 of 19 cuts and recorded 7 top-10’s, including a pair of Tour wins—propelling him past Lloyd Mangrum into a tie with Peter Thompson at #17.
Jack won his last major at 46 and Phil captured The PGA Championship at 51, so Rory still has plenty of opportunities in front of him. While it’s unlikely that Rory can get close to Sam Snead, Tiger and Jack, he definitely has a shot at the top 5—and there are a ton of golf fans pulling for him.
LIV
Participating in LIV events does not elevate standing among the greats of the game, so DJ (#29), Sergio (#32), Jon Rahm (#49), Brooks Koepka (#57) and Bryson DeChambeau (#91) are relying on major championship performance alone to move up in the rankings.
Jon Rahm: Inside the Top 50
While the clock is winding down on DJ and Sergio, now north of 40, Koepka, Rahm and DeChambeau have plenty of time–but they need to play lights out whenever they tee it up in a major.
Jon Rahm is currently the only player in the all-time top 50 who is under 30 years old, and his PGA Tour cut and top-10 percentages are the highest of any modern-day player other than Jack and Tiger.
Brooks Koepka: 5 major championships
Koepka always focused on the majors anyway, even when he played on the PGA Tour, but it’s tough to be at the top of your game when it counts without regular big-time competition. Still, it’s a pretty good bet that Brooks will bag at least one more major and move into the all-time top-50.
Hopefully there will be a resolution between LIV and the PGA Tour in the near future, because it would sure be great to see Koepka, Rahm and DeChambeau tee it up against Scheffler, Schauffele and McIlroy more than just 4 times a year.
If you’re looking for great golf where you are or where you’re going, the GolfDay Search Enginemakes it easy to find the best courses and a better bang for your buck.
While Scottie Scheffler is having one of the greatest seasons in PGA Tour history, he’ll have to keep his foot firmly on the gas to keep Xander Schauffele in the rear view. With his second major victory of 2024 at the Open Championship, Xander positioned himself to pull neck and neck with Scottie for Player of the Year if he can close with a couple of wins and add a FedEx Cup to his mantelpiece.
Scheffler and Schauffele: Making History
Scheffler has recorded 5 tour wins, a major championship and 2 major Top-10’s, while Schauffele has won 2 major championships with 2 major Top-10’s. Neither has missed a cut, and Scottie has recorded Top-10’s in 14 of 16 starts (87.5%) while Xander has 12 Top-10’s in 18 starts (66.6%).
History in the Making
Only a few times in history have two players performed at the level of brilliant consistency displayed by Scheffler and Schauffele in the 2024 season—and of course we have to look at Jack and Tiger to provide perspective
Jack and TigerSet The Standard
In addition to their major championships, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods set a standard for consistent excellence that would seem impossible to replicate—yet Scottie Scheffler is on the cusp of doing just that.
The Rivalries
Jack and Tiger were challenged and pushed by a number of All-Time Top 100 players who would also earn their place in the Hall of Fame, creating intense rivalries that elevated their games to even greater heights.
Early in his career Jack clashed with Arnie and Player, followed later by legendary battles with Weiskopf and Watson.
Tiger and Phil went at it hammer and tongs for a decade and more, Vijay recorded 92 Top-10’s between 2001 and 2006, while Ernie Els had one of his greatest seasons in 2004—all when Tiger was at the pinnacle of his power.
When Scottie and Xander tee it up this week at TPC Southwind in Memphis for the first leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs, we will have the opportunity to see two players destined to be among the greats of the game at peak performance with the richest prize in golf history on the line.
Of course, there are other elite players who have no intention of allowing Scottie and Xander to steal the show, including Rory as he looks to redeem his 2024 season with a fourth FedEx Cup.
Through the annals of golf history, however, it is extremely rare to have two players performing at such a high level in the same year—so the next three weeks is a sure bet to deliver some pretty fantastic golf.
Seem’s like we were just watching Scottie Scheffler slip the green jacket over his shoulders, and suddenly the PGA Championship is upon us. The eve of a major championship is always alive with anticipation and excitement, but the ‘24 PGA has the protentional for all-time greatness.
This may be the most highly talented field ever assembled for a golf championship, when you consider Tiger’s 15 majors, Phil with 6, Brooks Koepka at 5, Rory at 4, and Jordan Spieth with 3—a total of 33 major championships between them.
For perspective, the 1963 PGA Championship included Ben Hogan with 9 majors, Sam Snead and Arnie with 7 each, while Gary Player had won 3 majors at that point and Jack 2 (the ’63 PGA was Jack’s third major)—28 total majors.
In addition, the 2024 PGA includes future Hall of Famers Dustin Johnson, Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Jon Rahm and Scottie Scheffler–each with 2 major championships.
Tiger and Phil (21 Majors Between Them)
And although the odds are pretty long that Tiger or Phil will be among the leaders on Sunday, it won’t be for lack of will—and watching them battle once again to turn back the hands of time will make for memorable viewing (and hopefully they will both be teeing it up on the weekend).
The big show without doubt, however, will be Scottie Scheffler–and if anybody can take him down.
On top of that, Scottie’s momentum has reached a crescendo coming into the PGA, with 4 wins and a runner-up in his last 5 starts. Keep in mind as well that this wave has been gathering strength for quite a while, with 26 Top-10’s in his last 33 starts going back to last year (and with no missed cuts)—so anybody who steps up to take him on better be ready to absorb some heavy blows.
Brooks Koepka: Looking for Sixth Major
The Top Contenders
Koepka: Defending champion Brooks Koepka is coming off a Top-10 and a win in his last two LIV events, and looks like he is primed and ready in pursuit of his sixth major. Koepka lives for major championships, so don’t expect him to take a dive.
McIlroy: It’s been ten years since Rory won his last major championship, but it was The PGA and it was at Valhalla. And although Rory was the invisible man in his first 8 starts of 2024, he’s posted a win in each of his last 2 (including a heavyweight performance at Quail Hollow last week). If McIlroy is making a few putts, even Scheffler will need his best to hold him off.
Rory: Back to Back at Valhalla?
Rahm: Jon Rahm put up the highest career cut and Top-10 percentages on the PGA Tour outside of Tiger and Jack, and has finished in the top ten of every LIV event he’s played. At 29 years old, Rahm is just now coming into his prime—look for him to rebound from the lackluster Masters performance and put some heat on Scheffler as he goes for major number 3.
Schauffele: Xander is having a heck of a 2024 season with 8 Top-10’s in 12 starts, and he hasn’t missed a cut in two years—but somehow that first major championship has eluded him. Always a great ball striker, Schauffele has made vast improvement from the tee (currently 6th in Total Driving) and stands at No. 2 behind Scheffler in scoring average. It’s just a matter of time before he breaks through at a major, and remember that Phil didn’t win his first until he was 33.
Ludvig Aberg: PGA Tour Phenom
Notables
Twenty-four-year-old Ludwig Aberg is going to be a major force on the PGA Tour for another decade and more, currently standing at No. 3 on the Tour Power Rankings with 5 Top-10’s in 10 starts, including a runner-up at The Masters. He bombs it from the tee and sticks his irons like Miller, but the putter has been holding him back—if the short stick heats up look for Ludwig toward the top of the leaderboard late on Sunday.
Joaquin Niemann is the young star on the LIV circuit, and he’ll be flying under the radar with Koepka and Rahm grabbing most of the attention—but he has 2 wins and leads the LIV Power Rankings by a pretty wide margin. Niemann has major championship ability and a golf swing that’s easy on the eyes—watch for him this weekend.
Valhalla Golf Club, Louisville KY
Valhalla Golf Club
A Jack Nicklaus masterpiece, Valhalla will present a stiff test for the PGA Championship with a USGA Course Rating of 77.5 and a Slope of 154. 2024 will be the fourth time that Valhalla has hosted the PGA (1996, 2000, 2014).
The buzz surrounding Scottie Scheffler’s fantastic season keeps getting louder every time he tees it up—but where does the ultra-hot start to his ’24 season stack up against some of the greatest seasons of all-time?
Through his first 10 starts, Scottie has recorded 4 wins, including The Players and The Masters, with 9 Top-10 finishes. After taking a look through the record books, Scheffler’s opening run in the ’24 season ranks at the very top since 1960—with only Tiger (of course) putting up a comparable record through the first 10 starts of the year in his monumental 2000 season.
Tiger: The Greatest Year
Tiger 2000
With 9 victories including 3 Major championship wins and a T5 at The Masters, the 2000 season was undoubtedly the greatest of Tiger’s amazing career. His first 10 starts that year couldn’t match what he did in the second half of the season (winning all three majors), but it was fantastic just the same with 9 Top-10’s including 4 wins and 4 runner-up finishes.
Although Tiger recorded the same number of wins with 3 more runner-up finishes and a slightly better average finish, he was 2nd in The Players and 5th at The Masters (Scheffler won both), so you have to give Scottie the nod by an eyelash.
Jack 1963
Although Nicklaus never had a “monster” year like Tiger in 2000, he had a ton of great ones to choose from—so we picked 1963 out of the hat. Jack finished the year with 5 wins, including The Masters and The PGA Championship along with 17 Top-10’s.
Jack Nicklaus
In his first 10 starts of ’63, Jack recorded 9 Top-10’s with 3 wins including The Masters, but Scheffler also won at Augusta and notched one more win—and it happened to be The Players, so once again it’s Scottie by a whisker.
Arnie 1961
Arnie had a tremendous year in ’61, making the cut in 25 of his 26 starts with 21 Top-10’s and 7 wins, including the Open Championship. He also recorded a runner-up at The Masters and a T5 at the PGA—while constantly having to look over his shoulder at Jack.
Arnie
It’s tough to have a great year without getting off to fast start, and Arnie did just that in ’61 with 9 Top-10 finishes in his first 10 starts including 3 wins. Unfortunately, Palmer missed the cut in the first tournament of the year at the LA Open, and then came heartbreak at the Masters when he made double on 18 to lose by a shot to Gary Player—so Arnie comes up just shy of Scottie’s run as well.
Johnny Miller
Johnny Miller
Perhaps the greatest iron player of all-time, Miller had his best year in 1972. Johnny made the cut in 20 of 22 starts with 13 Top-10’s and recorded 8 wins that year, and started the season sizzling hot with 3 consecutive wins (Crosby Pro-Am/Pebble Beach, The Phoenix Open and The Tucson Open).
Through his first 10 events, Johnny recorded 6 Top-10’s with 4 wins—a fantastic start to the season. As great as Johnny was at the start of ’72, it pales in comparison to what Scottie has done in 2024—and provides some perspective on just how good Scheffler has been this year.
Vijay Singh: 9 wins at 41
Vijay Singh
Vijay Singh played his first year on the PGA Tour at 30 years old, and had his greatest season in 2004 at the age of 41. In 29 starts, Vijay recorded 18 Top-10’s with 9 wins including The PGA Championship at Sahalee, while missing the cut just once.
In the first 10 starts of ’04 Vijay was terrific, making the cut in 9 of 10 events with 5 Top-10’s including a win, a runner-up and a T6 at The Masters—but still not close to the numbers Scheffler has put up.
The Road Ahead
No doubt Scottie takes it one round at a time, one tournament at a time, and that’s good–because if he looks hard at what it will take to match Tiger for the rest of the year, it may bring on a panic attack.
Scheffler will need to win 4 more times, including 2 additional majors, without missing a cut —while recording 8 more Top-10’s and throw in a T5 at the fourth major to boot.
With the way Scheffler is hitting the ball right now, and the confidence he exudes with every shot, it certainly brings back images of Tiger at the height of his powers—but can Scottie keep it up?
Every year The Masters kicks off a new golf season, and the 2024 edition is shaping up to be one for the ages. It seems like forever since Jon Rahm lifted the 2023 championship trophy, while his departure from the PGA Tour to join LIV at the end of the season brought on a seismic shift in the landscape of professional golf.
Jon Rahm: Reigning Masters Champion
In addition to his Masters victory, Rahm recorded 9 Top-10’s in 2023 including 3 more Tour wins, a T2 at the Open Championship and a T10 at the U.S. Open. Since joining LIV, Jon has played 5 events with 3 Top-5’s and 2 Top-10’s—so he’s primed and ready to defend his Masters title this weekend.
Scottie Scheffler, the 2022 Masters Champion, will be standing in his way, however—and when you look at the way Scheffler finished the 2023 season along with the incredible year he’s had thus far in 24’, Mr. Rahm will need every bit of his A game if he hopes to repeat at Augusta.
Scottie Scheffler: Current World Number 1
In his last 11 starts of 2023, Scottie recorded 9 Top 10’s including a T2 at The PGA and 3rd at the U.S. Open (for the year he made 23 of 23 cuts with 17 Top-10’s and 2 wins). Scottie’s 2024 season has been even more remarkable, with 7 Top-10’s in eight starts and 2 more wins including The Players Championship.
Let’s get ready to rumble!
Supporting Cast
Rory McIlroy has had a dismal season, but showed signs of life last week when he closed with a 66 to record his first Top 10 of the year. If Rory is on his game and making a few putts, even Scheffler and Rahm will have their hands full trying to hold him off—and he wants nothing more than to add a Green Jacket to his major championship profile page.
Rory McIlroy: Four Time Major Winner
After such a tough loss at The Players, Xander Schauffele has to be laser focused on landing that first major championship. Xander has 6 Top 10’s in 8 starts without missing a cut (42 in a row going all the way back to 2022)—so he is definitely due.
Xander Shauffele
Hideki Matsuyama had a forgettable 2023 season where he was making cuts (22 of 26), but recorded only 2 Top 10’s. That was last year—in only 9 starts so far this year Hideki has 3 Top 10’s including a win at The Genesis in LA and T6 at The Players. Keep in mind that Matsuyama already owns a Green Jacket (2021 Champ) and he’s coming off a strong showing (T7) at the Valero last week—look for him among the leaders heading into Sunday.
Hideki Matsuyama
Another player to keep an eye on is Wyndam Clark (reigning U.S. Open Champ). Wyndam recorded a win at Pebble Beach in the AT&T back in February, and had back-to-back runner-up finishes in March (Palmer Invitational and The Players). Clark crushes it, so if he’s dialed in this week listen for some pretty loud noise around the leaderboard come the weekend.
Wyndam Clark
Young Guns
Ludvig Aberg
This year’s Masters field will include perhaps the most talented group of young players ever assembled at Augusta National. Nick Dunlap (20), Akshay Bhatia (22), Ludvig Aberg (24), and. Sahith Theegala (26).
Akshay Bhatia
At only 20 years old, Nick Dunlap became the first amateur to win a Tour event since Phil when he held off a strong field including Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele at the American Express in January. At 22, Akshay Bhatia has already won twice on Tour, including a gutsy win at the Valero last week—and with his power you can look for a ton of wedges at Augusta. Ludvig Aberg, by way of Sweden and Texas Tech, picked up his first Tour win at the RSM last Fall, and with his power and ball striking the wins will pile up fast when the putter comes around.
Sahith Theegala
A 3-time All-American at Pepperdine, Sahith Theegala has already recorded 17 Top-10’s including a win and a T-9 at the ’23 Masters—he’ll break out at a major more sooner than later, and Augusta suits his eye. Check out the current top 75 players on GolfDay’s 2024 Power Rankings.
The LIV Contingent
Brooks Koepka: 5 Major Championships
LIV will be sending 13 players to the Masters this year, and Jon Rahm is not the only one with a solid chance to don the Green Jacket on Sunday. Joaquin Niemann leads the LIV Power Rankings after winning 2 of the 5 events played thus far in 2024—and that is with Jon Rahm barking at his heels. Of the top 5 finishers at the 2023 Masters, 4 are currently playing on LIV—so it’s a pretty good bet that a few will be lurking among the leaders on Sunday. Remember that before he won the PGA last year, Brooks Koepka was lapping the field at Augusta through 3 rounds until Rahm chased him down. Don’t forget about DJ either—he recorded a LIV win earlier this year. And as long as Cameron Smith has a putter in his hands, he’s extremely dangerous—particularly on the immaculate greens at Augusta National. Probably not likely that Phil has another rabbit hidden under his hat like the one he pulled last year to finish runner up, but you never know. In any event, there’s no doubt the LIV group will make their presence felt.
Betting Odds
According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Scottie Scheffler is the man to beat at (+400 to win)—but a few names of interest are included below (as of Wednesday evening).
Rory McIlroy +1000.
Jon Rahm +1100
Xander Schauffele at +1400
Brooks Koepka +1800
Hideki Matsuyama +2000
Jordan Spieth+2200
Joaquin Neimann +2800
Ludvig Oberg+3300
Wyndham Clark +4000
Patrick Cantlay+4000
Cameron Smith +5000
Sahith Theegala +5000
Max Homa +7500
Akshay Bhatia +11000.
Tiger Woods +15000
Phil Mickelson +27000
History
Augusta National has provided some of the greatest moments in golf history—from Jack’s magical victory at 46 years old in ’86, to Tiger’s win in ’01 that completed the “Tiger Slam.” And of course, who can forget Greg Norman’s monumental collapse at the ’96 Masters, or when Fred Couples’ tee shot on 12 miraculously defied gravity, clinging to the slope above Rae’s Creek as he went on to win. And then there was Phil’s leap, following his birdie on 18 to win his first major, and the amazing approach on 13 from the pine straw when he took home his third green jacket in 2010.
Augusta National getting the golf juices flowing? Find a great course with the GolfDay Search Engine.
Scottie Scheffler: Current Number 1 Player in The World
With Jon Rahm off to LIV and Rory’s game on sabbatical, Scottie Scheffler has become Chairman of the Board at PGA Tour Enterprises (the new “for profit” entity engineered by PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan to counter the Saudi-backed start-up league.)
To say Scottie is off to a hot start in 2024 is a massive understatement. Scheffler has made the cut in all 7 of the events he’s entered with 6 Top-10’s and 2 wins—including back-to-back at Bay Hill and The Players. The only tournament where Scottie finished outside the Top 10 was at the American Express back in January (T17).
Xander Schauffele
Xander Schauffele is having one hell of a year with 6 Top-10’s in 8 starts and no missed cuts, but he is a distant 2nd in the 2024 PGA Power Rankings through last week at The Valspar. Wyndam Clark stands at third, following up his outstanding 2023 season (U.S. Open Champ) with 3 Top-10’s, including a win at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. As you scan down the list of early season leaders, a number of new names jump out including Ludwig Aberg (No. 5), Jake Knapp (No.6) and Sahith Theegala (No. 7). Who are these new guys, and what can we expect from them in 2024?
Ludvig Aberg
Other than the greatest female golfer in history (Annika Sorenstam), Sweden has not generally been known for world class golf—although Stenson’s unforgettable duel with Phil at the 2016 Open Championship certainly shined some light in that direction.
Ludvig Aberg (pronounced oh-berg) won a host of junior events in Sweden, including the Annika Sorenstam Trophy, before heading to Texas Tech where he piled up accolades including the Ben Hogan Award (’21 and ‘22), Fred Haskins Award (’23) and the Jack Nicklaus Award (’23).
Since turning pro last year at the RBC Canadian Open, Ludvig has made the cut in 17 of 18 events with 7 Top 10’s and a win at the RSM Classic last November. At 24 years old, Aberg is a big guy (6’3”) and a fantastic driver of the ball who can also putt (1st in Total Driving and 7th in Putting last year)—a powerhouse combination. In his first appearance at The Players two weeks ago he fired 3 rounds of 67 for a T10 (8th), so it should be no surprise when you see his name on the leaderboard at The Masters in April.
Jake Knapp
Jake Knapp made some noise as an amateur 10 years ago in southern California, qualifying for the U.S. Open after just turning 21 in 2015—and then disappeared for the next eight years. Actually, he was honing his game on the Canadian Tour where he broke through for a pair of wins in 2019.
In 2023 Jake played the Korn Ferry Tour, and his game began to really kick in making the cut in 20 of 22 events with 10 Top 10’s in route to gaining his PGA Tour Card for the 2024 season—and he’s made the most it.
Knapp has missed the cut just once in 8 events with 3 Top-10’s including a win at the Mexico Open and a T3 at Torre Pines in The Farmers. He also followed up his win in Mexico the very next week with a T4 at PGA National in the Cognizant Classic—so he wasted no time basking in success.
The word is that Knapp was a bouncer during his time on the Canadian Tour, but since bouncers are generally pretty bulky and somewhat fierce looking, you have to wonder where Jake was working. In any event, you really have to pull for this young man—he’s certainly paid his dues.
Sahith Theegala
Sahith Theegala just turned 26 years old in December, but he’s already recorded 17 Top-10’s on the PGA Tour including a win at the Fortinet Championship and a T9 at The Masters last year.
Theegala’s fast start on the PGA Tour comes on the heels of an outstanding college golf career at Pepperdine, where he was a 3-tme All-American while winning the Ben Hogan, Fred Haskins, and Jack Nicklaus awards in 2020
Thus far in 2024 Sahith has finished among the top 10 in 4 of his 8 starts, including a T9 at The Players two weeks ago. Currently Sahith stands at No. 10 in scoring and 7th in putting. Winning major championships is as much about grit and determination as it is pure talent, and Theegala is very long on both—look for Sahith to make some noise on the weekend at Augusta.
Texas Children’s Houston Open
Scottie Scheffler and Wyndam Clark are teeing it up this weekend at Memorial Park in Houston for the Texas Children’s Houston Open, so two of the top three in the Power Rankings will be battling it out. Tony Finau, the defending champion, is looking to make it back-to-back in Houston for his 7th career win on the PGA Tour. Peter Malnati, looking to maintain momentum after his emotional win at the Valspar last week, is also in the field.
Tony Finau: Looks To Go Back To Back In Houston
36 Hole Leaders
1. Tony Finau (-9)
2. Alejandro Tosti (-7)
3. Thomas Detry (-6)
4 Scottie Scheffler and five others (-5)
Where To Watch
Saturday
1:00-3:30pm Golf Channel/Peacock
3:30-6:00pm NBC/Peacock
Sunday
1:00-2:30pm Golf Channel/Peacock
2:30-6:00pm NBC/Peacock
Memorial Park: Tom Doak Renovation
Memorial Park was originally designed by John Bredemus (1936) and most recently updated by none other than Tom Doak—a master of classic course restoration. One of the best Muni’s you will find anywhere, Memorial Park is among the rare group of modern-day courses that can provide a challenge to the greatest players in the world, and still be a ton of of fun for the weekend golfer.
This week will mark the 50th anniversary of The Players Championship–the showcase event on the PGA Tour. From Jack Nicklaus (winner in ‘74, ‘76, and ‘78), to Greg Norman (’94), to Tiger Woods (’01 and ’13) to Rory McIlroy (’19) and Scottie Scheffler (reigning champion), The Players has been a magnificent stage for the greats of the game to display their immense talent.
Rory is still at the top of his game if he holes a few putts (ranked No. 2 in the world), and Scottie Scheffler is on fire as the hands down favorite this week (No. 1 in the world, 2023 Players champ, and fresh off a dominating 5 shot victory at Bay Hill last week), but the field is extremely deep with a host of major champions and talented young stars, so the odds are good that a new name will be etched on the 2024 Players Championship trophy.
Scottie and Rory: 1 and 2 in the World Rankings
Preview
Wyndham Clark, the reigning U.S. Open Champion, is coming off a breakout season in 2023 where he recorded 8 Top Ten’s including 2 wins, and missed only 3 cuts. Thus far in ’24 he has made 5 of 6 cuts with a win at Pebble Beach in February and a runner-up last week at Bay Hill. Clark crushes it from the tee, so if he’s finding fairways this week you will likely see him among the last groups to go off on Sunday afternoon.
Wyndham Clark: Reigning U.S. Open Champion
Will Zalatoris, one of the premier ball-strikers in golf, is making only his sixth start following back surgery that cost him the bulk of the 2023 season. Not only did Will miss nine months of competitive golf, he was forced to make a major swing change to reduce the stress on his back. Recipe for a tough comeback year, right? Nope–in fact with his new putting approach (Broomstick Putter), he may be better than ever.
Will Zalatoris: Amazing Comeback
Zalatoris heads into the Players following a runner-up at the Genesis in LA and a T5 last week at Bay Hill—this may be the week when all that hard work delivers the ultimate payoff.
Xander Schauffele has not missed a cut since the 2022 Masters (40 consecutive events). And while he didn’t win in 2023, and hasn’t had a win yet this year, Schauffele has recorded 15 Top 10’s in his last 29 events—a level of performance only surpassed by Scottie Scheffler (22 Top 10’s).
One thing’s for sure—Xander is due (but will the putter cooperate down the stretch?). Speaking of players that are due, Victor Hoveland has made the cut in all four events he’s played this year without recording a Top 10. Considering his 2023 season included 9 Top 10’s and 3 wins, you have to believe a big week is looming (plus one of Victor’s Top 10’s last year was a T3 at the Players).
Viktor Hoveland: 3 Wins in 2023
After a disastrous 2023 campaign, Justin Thomas has righted the ship with a T3, a T6 and two T12’s in 5 events this year. With a pair of major championships under his belt and a win at the Players in 2021, don’t be surprised if Justin is lurking on the leaderboard come Sunday. There are quite a few young players to keep an eye on as well, including Sahith Theegala, Ludvig Aberg, Jake Knapp and Nick Dunlap.
Sahith Theegala: Looking for the Big Win
Theegala has made 6 of 7 cuts this year including 3 Top-10’s, on top of 8 Top-10’s with a win in 2023. Ludwig Aberg, the long hitting Texas A&M standout from Sweden, has made the cut in all 6 of his starts this year including 2 Top-10’s. Jake Knapp recorded a win at the Mexico Open in February, and has made 6 of 7 cuts with 3 Top 10’s. Twenty-year old Nick Dunlap bested the field at The American Express in January while still a student at Alabama, the first amateur to win a PGA Tour event since Phil won the Northern Telecom Open all the way back in 1991.
Nick Dunlap: First Amateur Win Since Phil
Dunlap is a long shot for sure, particularly because experience goes a long way at TPC Sawgrass, but he has the power and precision—so maybe he’ll deliver an all-time shocker (he already did it once this year).
In the early 1970’s, former PGA Tour commissioner Deane Beman wanted to create a championship that would showcase the talent and power of professional golf in America, and shine a bright light on the PGA Tour—home to the greatest golfers in the world.
Initially called “The Tournament Players Championship,” Beman’s vision immediately gained momentum as Jack won the inaugural event in 1974, and three of the first five. The next step was to build a permanent venue that could stand with the four majors, demanding championship golf at the highest level—and so Pete Dye was brought aboard. Not only did Beman want a course that would be a stiff test of golf, he also wanted breathtaking visual appeal and viewing areas that would maximize the experience for fans.
TPC Sawgrass: Pete Dye Masterpiece
Pete Dye delivered precisely what was ordered, and then he added icing on the cake with classically positioned risk and reward holes to build maximum excitement and drama—thus creating a treasure trove of moments to be remembered and discussed year after year.
The Stadium Course at TPC at Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL is perennially ranked by Golf Digest among the top 100 golf facilities in the U.S., and is one of Pete Dye’s crowning achievements. And to guarantee the field is maintained at a major championship level, the PGA Tour has continuously raised the purse over the years, making The Players the richest golf event in the world by a wide margin (this year the purse stands at $25 million).
Memorable Moments: Be The Right Club Today
Most everybody has seen the clip of Hal Sutton intently staring down an approach shot, saying “Be the right club…be the right club today!” 2000 Players Championship, eighteenth hole, eyeball to eyeball with Tiger Woods at the very top of his game.
