Here is what Scottie Scheffler had to say after the PGA Tour superstar was told he is likely the best player since Tiger Woods.
Scottie Scheffler, who is currently ranked as the best player in the world, shared a funny encounter with a fan at Riviera. This incident showed that it is premature to compare him to Tiger Woods.
Since his impressive win in Phoenix two years ago, Scheffler has maintained a high level of performance without any signs of slowing down.
Since the beginning of 2022, Scheffler has won nine tournaments and only failed to make the cut three times.
As a result, he has now earned over $50,000,000 in prize money on the PGA Tour. Naturally, when seeing such impressive performance, people tend to compare Scheffler to Woods.
Scheffler is certainly pleased to be likened to the 48-year-old iconic figure. However, he provided a serious yet amusing explanation for why we should consider reducing the comparisons.
A reporter asked Scheffler: “Obviously like a lot of younger players of your generation guys idolised Tiger, which you’ve spoke about before. Was there any part of you when you maybe were trying to dream of what you’re doing right now that thought about being as dominant as Tiger was?
“I know obviously he’s won a lot more, but you’re on a path right now. The results are dominant, and I’m just kind of curious if you feel that way?”
“I think that’s a funny question,” Scheffler replied.
He added: “I’m not going to remember the exact numbers, but like we’re playing at Riv this year, and I hit my tee ball and this guy yells out, like, ‘Congrats on being No. 1 Scottie. 11 more years to go.’ 11 more years to go.”
This was a clear reference to the fact Woods was the top-ranked golfer in the world from August 1999 to September 2004 and again from June 2005 to October 2010.
If you’re bad at the maths, that’s 281 weeks Woods spent at the summit of men’s professional golf.
Scheffler expressed that being compared to Tiger Woods is a significant honor, but emphasized that Woods is unparalleled in the game of golf.
“He definitely does.
This marks my eighth tournament victory here, putting me even with him in Players Championships. Besides that, I have 14 additional major wins and over 70 PGA Tour events to go to catch up.” “I believe I will stick to my regular schedule and keep moving forward, trying to remain calm and consistent.”
“We all idolise Tiger. He’s been our guy. Watching what he did in special moments over the years is crazy to watch.
“I’ve learned a lot just from being around him. We’re just very thankful that he’s still a part of our sport.”
Watch the moment here: