Few people in history are better suited to recognize greatness on the golf course than Tiger Woods, and the legendary golfer certainly sees it in Scottie Scheffler.
In fact, he sees it so much that he recognizes the No. 1 ranked player in the world doesn’t even have to impress on the putting green to walk away with PGA Tour victories.
“If he putts awful, then he finishes in top 10,” Woods said Tuesday ahead of the 2024 PGA Championship, per ESPN’s Paolo Uggetti. “If he putts decent, he wins. He putts great, he runs away. So, he’s just that good a ball striker and that good an all-around player.”
Scheffler has played some of the best golf fans have seen since peak Woods with wins in four of his last five events.
He won the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players Championship in March and then took home titles at the Masters and RBC Heritage in April. Squeezed in the middle of those events was a tie for second place at the Houston Open, which was somehow something of a disappointing finish given his recent form.
Yet the PGA Championship will be a test, as he hasn’t played in an event for three weeks because of the birth of his child.
“I’m definitely rested going into this week, for sure. I don’t really feel like any rust has accumulated,” Scheffler said. “I’m able to do stuff at home to simulate tournament golf, especially on the greens, competing and gambling with my buddies. I don’t really want to lose to them, either, so I was able to simulate a little bit of competition at home.”
It is notable that Woods mentioned Scheffler’s putting, as it is the one potential weakness to his game.
According to his PGA Tour profile, the 27-year-old is first in strokes gained, first in strokes gained off the tee, first in strokes gained approaching the green, first in greens in regulation percentage, sixth in scrambling percentage and seventh in driving accuracy.
It is a testament to his overall dominance that he is still winning at such a high level despite less than stellar putting, although a switch to a new putter has led to even more success of late.
And that is troubling news for the rest of the field, as Scheffler figures to challenge for his second major title of the year in Louisville, Kentucky.
