Is This the Best Golf Season Since 2000?

August 5, 2024

By Carter Rennyson

Scottie Scheffler fired a final-round 62 to win Olympic gold yesterday. His nine-under round vaulted him past Jon Rahm, Tommy Fleetwood, and Hideki Matsuyama to finish atop the podium. This round tied a course record at Le Golf National in Paris, and he became the first world No. 1 to win Olympic gold. On the podium as the national anthem played, Scheffler was emotional as he realized just what he had accomplished that day.

The Olympic gold medal was added to Scheffler’s remarkable trophy case. He has six PGA Tour victories already this season, and the FedEx Cup Playoffs begin on August 15. Scheffler could add a few more victories in the playoffs to solidify this season as one of the best in history.

Scheffler started off his season by dominating the field at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Scheffler won by five strokes for his second title at Bay Hill. The following week, he fired a final-round 64 to take down Xander Schauffele, Brian Harman, and Wyndham Clark at The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass. He became the first player to win The Players in back-to-back seasons.

A few weeks later, he won his second green jacket at The Masters, winning by four strokes. His impressive ball-striking ability was on full display around Augusta as he played a near-perfect final round. The next week, he won in Harbor Town for his fourth victory in five starts.

This summer, he has added victories at The Memorial Tournament over Collin Morikawa and The Travelers Championship, defeating Tom Kim in a playoff. After a disappointing start at the U.S. Open, Scheffler added a top-ten at The Open Championship.

He was the favorite to take home the gold in Paris, but sitting four back to start the fourth round, his odds were slim. However, when Jon Rahm faltered down the stretch, Scheffler birdied four of his last five holes to take home the gold.

Tiger Woods had arguably the best season in the history of golf in 2000. He won three majors and had nine total PGA Tour wins. Most notably, he won the U.S. Open by 15 strokes at Pebble Beach in what is perhaps the best performance in the history of golf. He followed that up with an eight-stroke victory at St. Andrews and a PGA Championship at Valhalla in a playoff versus Bob May. Had there been golf in the Olympics during this time, Tiger would have most likely taken home the gold as well.

Scheffler has not dominated his fellow competitors like Tiger did, but he is still racking up victories in a way we haven’t seen since. Scheffler has also won over $27 million and has already cracked the top ten of the career PGA Tour earnings list. Scheffler is very much in the prime of his career and will continue to add several victories a year for the foreseeable future.

Scheffler is currently sitting at two major championships. Jack Nicklaus won 18 majors, and Tiger is second with 15 majors. For Scheffler to be considered one of the greats, he needs to add more majors to his resume. Next season, don’t be surprised if he takes home at least two majors.

Tune into the FedEx Cup Playoffs beginning August 15th to see the end of this remarkable run by Scheffler. He will also lead the U.S. team against the International squad at this year's Presidents’ Cup in Montreal. 

With a couple more victories and an undefeated performance at Royal Montreal, this could be the greatest single season in golf's history. It is hard to say that any season is better than Tiger Woods' 2000 season, but this one is the closest we have ever seen.

Scottie Scheffler has taken the golf world by storm ever since he broke through for his first PGA Tour victory in 2022. Scheffler has 12 PGA Tour wins, two green jackets, and a gold medal. He will be the No. 1-ranked player in the world for a while, and while atop the golf world, expect to see his name at the top of leaderboards over the next decade.