Scottie Scheffler’s level of play has put him in a debate that seemed almost impossible a few years ago. Is the World No. 1 already playing at a higher level than Rory McIlroy? Veteran golf writer Jaime Diaz believes he is and he did not stop there. Diaz placed Scheffler second among the best players of the century by level of play, calling the stretch he is currently putting together “the Scottie era.”
Watch What’s Trending Now!
“But when you talk about just the continuum that Scottie’s done, only to the age of 30 now, I think his level has been higher than anyone else’s and been higher than Rory’s. To me, he’s the second best player of this century in terms of his level of play, his standard of play. And it’s because he’s so well-rounded, he’s so complete. He can do it so many different ways. He cannot play his best and win tournaments. So you don’t see that too often. Rory’s learning to do it, but he’s already 37 years old,” Diaz told Gary Williams on the 5 Clubs show
For Diaz, the argument is not simply about who has accumulated more wins or career earnings. It is about the level Scheffler has maintained across his prime—and the number of ways he can still win when his game is not at its best.
“Scottie seemed to have it innately, and Tiger always did that. I just think he’s Tiger-like, slightly, but there are certain things he does maybe as well or even better than Tiger. Iron play is pretty darn close. Tiger was longer. Tiger’s a better putter. Scottie, in every other area, you know, you could say is almost Tiger’s equal, which is just incredible, as I was saying, but I do think because of that, if you’re talking about what was the most memorable golf played to this point in 2026, in this century, I would say it is the Scottie era.”
The argument also does not begin with Scheffler’s recent run. Since breaking through as one of the Tour’s elite players in 2022, he has built a level of consistency that has separated him from much of the field. His rise from his first Masters win in 2022 to becoming a multiple-time major champion and a two-time FedExCup winner has made sustained contention almost routine. That larger body of work is what gives Diaz’s “Scottie era” claim more weight than a reaction to one hot stretch.
There are many golf tournaments that could back Diaz’s comments. Take, for example, the last three weeks. The 30-year-old had just changed his driver ahead of the St. Jude Championship. While most golfers would have struggled and taken some time to adjust, Scottie Scheffler won the event after a seven-month gap since the American Express.
Then, at the BMW Championship, he was ill and started the tournament with a round of two-over 72. Despite being in the bottom 10 after the opening round, he came back strongly and ended the event tied for 12th on the leaderboard. And last week, too, he was three strokes behind the leader Viktor Hovland entering the final round. But while most golfers were having a hard day because of increasing wind, the World No. 1 adjusted and won with a final-round of four-under 66.
All these wins came despite Scottie Scheffler himself admitting he wasn’t performing as well as he had in the past two years. It’s not just this ability to win, though. It’s the consistency he shows on golf courses. Regardless of how challenging a course is, he is usually in contention to win. In this season alone, while he won only three events, he has had five runner-up finishes. So even if he is not winning, he is right there at the top of the leaderboard.
Between 2022 and 2026, he has won 22 PGA Tour titles. Across these five seasons, he has had 74 top-10 finishes in just 107 starts.
Rory McIlroy, on the other hand, isn’t that consistent with his game. He has had many peak seasons, but his year-to-year output fluctuates. This year, he became the fourth golfer in the history of the game to successfully defend the Masters. However, he managed only six top-10 finishes in 14 starts this season.
There are many other analysts who share Jaime Diaz’s views. Brandel Chamblee, for instance, clearly stated that if Scottie Scheffler is playing his best golf, Rory McIlroy cannot beat him. The Northern Irishman himself admitted that after playing with him in the first two rounds at the St. Jude Championship. Speaking about the Player of the Year award ahead of the BMW Championship 2026, he said that Scheffler could be the one.
“Well, sorry, there’s two weeks to go, but I first‑hand watched him for the first two days last week, and if he keeps playing like that… if he gains nine strokes on the greens every week, we’re all effed,” McIlroy said.
In fact, Rory McIlroy is usually not in the picture. More often than not, comparisons are made between Tiger Woods and Scottie Scheffler. But while Woods usually wins that debate, there are a few things, like Diaz said, where the two are almost equal.
Scottie Scheffler’s remarkable ability to win makes a strong case for Jaime Diaz’s “Scottie era” claim. While comparisons will continue, Scheffler’s consistency has already established him as one of the defining golfers of this century.