As Scottie Scheffler cruised to the fourth major win of his career at The Open, his opponents simply admitted defeat.
Final round playing partner, Haotong Li, knew he was only playing for second place as Scheffler led heading into Sunday’s action.
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The World No.1 won his fourth major at Royal Portrush on SundayCredit: Getty
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Scheffler’s dominance has led to comparisons to WoodsCredit: AP
And it went exactly how Li expected, with the World No.1 winning at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland by four shots.
Scheffler’s competitors then piled praise on him after he got his hands on the Claret Jug and moved to within one leg of an incredible career Grand Slam with his 17th PGA Tour win.
2024 Open champion Xander Schauffele said: “He’s doing some Tiger-like stuff… I don’t think we thought the golfing world would see someone as dominant as Tiger come through so soon, and here’s Scottie sort of taking that throne of dominance.”
Meanwhile, Shane Lowry drew the same comparisons, saying: “If Scottie’s feet stayed stable and his swing looked like Adam Scott’s, we’d be talking about him in the same words as Tiger Woods.”
On top of that, golf fans from around the world have, now more than ever, begun to compare him to the sport’s greatest ever.
However, when Scheffler was asked what he thinks about being mentioned in the same breath as Woods, he didn’t agree.
He said: “I still think they’re a bit silly. Tiger won, what, 15 majors?
“This is my fourth. I just got one-fourth of the way there. I think Tiger stands alone in the game of golf.”
Despite Scheffler brushing off the comparisons, it’s hard not to see why so many see him replicating the icon of the game.
By winning The Open at Portrush, he became only the second player ever to win the event while World No.1, with Woods the first.
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Scheffler doesn’t think he can be compared to WoodsCredit: Getty
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But there are certainly some interesting parallels between the twoCredit: Getty
And remarkably, there was the exact same number of days between Woods and Scheffler’s first and fourth major titles.
A total of 1,197 days elapsed between both of their major landmarks, with them both winning The Masters first and The Open fourth.
Woods claimed a green jacket in 1997 and then the Claret Jug in 2000, while Scheffler did the same in 2022 and 2025.
That incredible stat has backed up comparisons between the two, with even more connections appearing after The Open.
Scheffler is now the third-youngest player to win 15+ PGA Tour events, as well as four majors, joining Woods and Jack Nicklaus.
He’s also one of four players in history to win the Masters, Open Championship and PGA Championship before turning 30, with Woods of course being one of the four already to do so.
Scottie Scheffler vs Tiger Woods
Scottie Scheffler: 2014 – 2025
PGA Tour wins – 17Major wins – 4
Tiger Woods: 1992 – 2025
PGA Tour wins – 82Major wins – 15
However, Scheffler does have some evidence to back up that he won’t get close to ‘standalone’ Woods in his career.
He has now won 10 consecutive events when the outright leader through 54 holes, but Woods has the most ever with 36.
The icon achieved that stunning streak from 1997 to 2009, and it proves just how different a level he was at in his career.
As well as that, Woods has won a whopping 82 PGA Tour events in total, which is a record in the sport.
Scheffler is on 17 – only two more than Woods’ major collection of 15.
Of course, time will tell if he can achieve the longevity as the world’s best player that the now 49-year-old has managed.
I took world no.1 spot from Tiger Woods and Scottie Scheffler will never take his crown
But his form over the last two seasons, in which he has won 11 times on the PGA Tour, has certainly earned comparison.
Woods’ career has spanned 33 years, with injuries now taking their toll as he comes to the end of his playing days.
Scheffler has been playing for 11 years, meaning there’s plenty of time for him to try and replicate the legend’s achievements.
And if he can keep up this dominance from across the last two years, he may well end up putting his name amongst the greats.
