[Photo: Andrew J. Clark/ISI Photos]
Scottie Scheffler just capped another fantastic season that will probably lead to a remarkable fifth consecutive PGA Tour Player of the Year Award. The numbers – and there are so many numbers to choose from – are mind-boggling, including the fact that he led the tour in more than 20(!!) statistical categories.
But his performance in one area that wasn’t tops on tour might best explain why he racked up nearly $US54 million in prizemoney.
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We’re used to hearing about Scheffler’s iron play, and for good reason. He seems to lead the tour in strokes gained: approach on a yearly basis, although, he actually finished second to his mate Si Woo Kim in 2026. We’re also used to hearing about Scheffler’s short game and his driving – never one of the longest, he still gets it out there. But you usually don’t hear about his putting. Unless he’s not putting well.
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And for a few years, that was the case as Scheffler finished outside the top 100 in strokes gained: putting for three of his first four full seasons on tour, bottoming out at 162nd in 2022-2023. But a fabled switch to a mallet putter in early 2024 (Thanks, Rory!) and some work with his putting coach (Thanks, Phil Kenyon!) has turned him around on the greens.
Now? Putting isn’t a liability for Scheffler, it’s a strength. Scheffler finished 77th in SGP in 2024, 22nd in 2025 and this year? All the way up to sixth, gaining .574 strokes putting on the field average each round (Jacob Bridgeman led the tour at .693).
And Scheffler, 30, also led the tour in putting from more than 25 feet, making nearly 10 percent from long range during the season.
So, the world No.1 is now an elite putter as well. In other words, there’s no reason to think he’s going to stop at five straight PGA Tour POYs.