While Scottie Scheffler is widely regarded as being the closest to Tiger Woods we’ve seen for some time, going into the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black, Team USA could actually do with them not being alike for once.
Scheffler himself has laughed off comparisons with Woods in recent times but there is an overriding feeling in the game that he is very similar.
Phil Mickelson’s former caddy says they aren’t far off, although he regards Woods as the best player he’s ever seen.
Still, when it comes to the upcoming Ryder Cup at Bethpage, Team USA need the very best version of Scottie Scheffler.
And by being that best version of himself, it means he needs to be some way better than Tiger Woods ever was when he played in Ryder Cups.
Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty ImagesTiger Woods’ Ryder Cup record shows the pressure is on Scottie Scheffler
Despite being such a dominant force in the world of golf for so many years, when it came to the Ryder Cup, Tiger Woods was just never the same player.
Sure, he has played in more Ryder Cup matches than most could dream of but for a player so brilliant and dominant, his actual record is poor.
In 37 matches, Woods has only amassed 14.5 points for Team USA. That means he’s won less than 40% of the matches he’s been involved with, which is simply not good enough for a player of his calibre.
YearEditionHostsCourseLocationLast hosted202545thUnited StatesBethpage Black Course, Farmingdale, New York, United Statesn/a202746thEuropeAdare ManorAdare, County Limerick, Irelandn/a202947thUnited StatesHazeltine National Golf ClubChaska, Minnesota, United States2016203148thEuropeCamiral Golf and WellnessBarcelona, Spainn/a203349thUnited StatesOlympic Club, Lake CourseSan Francisco, California, United Statesn/a203550thEuropen/an/an/a203751stUnited StatesCongressional Country Club, Blue CourseBethesda, Maryland, United Statesn/aFuture Ryder Cup venues
Furthermore, it also proves that just because you are the number one player in the world, it doesn’t mean you automatically star at the Ryder Cup.
With that in mind, then, the pressure is on Scottie Scheffler to convert his PGA Tour form into Ryder Cup points.
It will be Scheffler’s third Ryder Cup, and put simply, he just has to win the majority of his matches for the USA to have a chance.
Scottie Scheffler’s Ryder Cup record so far
Given he’s only played in two Ryder Cups, the data set for Scottie Scheffler is not that large for us to analyse.
Scheffler’s first effort in 2021 was a success. He tied his fourball match alongside Bryson DeChambeau, before pairing up with DeChambeau again to down Viktor Hovland and Tommy Fleetwood later on.
In the singles, Scheffler once again produced, taking down Jon Rahm as the USA dominated to win 19 to 9 in the end.
2023 in Rome was a mixed bag for Scheffler. He was hammered alongside Sam Burns in the opening match of the tournament, before sneaking a half alongside Brooks Koepka in the afternoon session.
Saturday saw the worst possible outcome, as Scheffler and Koepka were hammered 9&7 by Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg.
Scottie SchefflerTiger Woods Matches played737Wins213Losses221Halves 33Total points4.514.5Scottie Scheffler and Tiger Woods Ryder Cup stats
Still, Scheffler rallied and found form in the singles in a titanic battle with Jon Rahm to seal another half point.
In the end though, it was Team Europe who ran out winners.
Scheffler, then, will need to bring more of what he produced in 2021 if he is to lead Team USA to winning back the famous old trophy.
