Scottie Scheffler has no shortage of self-belief, yet Jack Nicklaus’ recent commendations could potentially swell his confidence even further. And the record-holder for most major titles in golf used some of Scheffler’s rivals to heap praise on the Memorial Tournament winner in Dublin, Ohio.
World No. 1 Scheffler, 28, claimed a resounding victory at Muirfield Village despite a tough field of competition. And he finished as the sole star to record double digits under par, four strokes ahead of nearest rival Ben Griffin. This triumph arrived hot on the heels of Scheffler’s PGA Championship win, adding to his impressive tally of major victories. And while presenting the award at the esteemed event he has long been associated with, Nicklaus did not hold back in his admiration for the New Jersey-born golfer. The 85-year-old said Scheffler’s style of play reminded him of his own, but the highest accolade was still to come.
“Great players are ones who rise to the occasion and ones who know how to play coming down the stretch in important events,” said the 19-time major champion after the tournament. Ben Griffin’s a nice player, Sepp Straka is a nice player, Nick Taylor is a nice player. Those were all the guys that were there basically coming down the stretch, but he [Scheffler] knows that those guys are not in his league.”
Scheffler has already secured three PGA Tour victories in 2025, all of which have been won in the past two months. This puts him in a strong position to potentially win his first US Open in less than a fortnight.
Regardless of what happened in Dublin this past weekend, the Texan would likely have been the favourite for that tournament. However, he’s now set to face even shorter odds as he aims to secure one of the two major titles not yet in his collection.
This isn’t the first time Nicklaus has awarded Scheffler the Memorial Tournament trophy given he also claimed the title last year. In doing so, he joined Tiger Woods as just the second player to top the leaderboard two years straight.
Scheffler is also one of only eight men to have won the tournament more than once, joining Nicklaus in the exclusive club. Fellow PGA star Patrick Cantlay is also on that list, while Greg Norman, Tom Watson and Kenny Perry (three wins) have also had significant success in the competition.
“It’s pretty cool,” Scheffler told CBS Sports. “It’s always a hard week as it’s so challenging to play this tournament. I battled really hard over the weekend and Ben made things interesting down the stretch, but overall it was a great week.”
The dominating force still has some distance to cover before he can match Woods’ all-time record of five Memorial Tournament wins. However, equalling Nicklaus, the man who elevated the tournament to such high status on the PGA Tour, is a remarkable achievement in itself.
Victory in Ohio also came with a £3million payday, boosting Scheffler’s PGA winnings for the year to £10.7m. An additional £3.4m will be available at the U.S. Open, with even Masters-winner Rory McIlroy struggling to keep pace with his rival’s recent form.
It seems he’ll have the support of golf legend Nicklaus in his quest for a second consecutive major title at Oakmont Country Club. Scheffler has already tasted victory in his home state of Texas this year after winning the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, suggesting more success could be on the horizon in familiar territory.
