Scottie Scheffler and his compatriots are on the receiving end for allegedly demanding payment at the Ryder Cup. Traditionally, golfers are not paid to represent their country, but the PGA of America has decided on a $500K remuneration for next year’s event. Reportedly, some previous Ryder Cup captains wrote to the PGA of America to block that move. Some even pinpoint this ‘greed’ as the reason the Stars and Stripes falter at the biennial showdown. Amid all these controversies, however, there is one piece of positive news.

Americans have dominated pro golf in 2024. And how. Take men’s golf, for example. First, the majors. It was the first time all four majors came to this side of the Atlantic since 1982. That year, Craig Stadler won the Masters, Tom Watson triumphed at the US Open, Ray Floyd sniffed victory at the PGA Championship, and Watson was again victorious at the Open Championship. 

Among the four majors this year, only the PGA Championship and the US Open came down to the wire. In the former, it was a battle between two Americans. In the latter, European icon Rory McIlroy failed. Notably, only four players have won the U.S. Amateur and more than one U.S. Open. Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, and Bobby Jones. Bryson DeChambeau joined them this year on the hallowed list. 

Stats Guru, Justin Ray, also tweeted, Americans have now won seven straight majors, the longest streak since 13 in a row from 1974-77. Interestingly, Xander Schauffele became the only third player to win the PGA Championship and Open Championship in the same year. Previously only Walter Hagen (1924) and Tiger Woods did it (2000, 2006). Furthermore, the Californian did something that even Tiger Woods couldn’t. 

Schauffele played only 9.5% of holes over par, the best bogey avoidance in the last 40 years. That’s even better than Tiger Woods’s 2000 season, where he made bogey or worse in 9.8% of holes. World No. 1, Scottie Scheffler, on the other hand, made another lesser-known record. 

The 28-year-old is the first PGA Tour player to win seven titles, including THE PLAYERS and a major. On top of it, the former Texas Longhorn was the quickest in earning his 13th PGA Tour title. He took 931 days to jump from no. 1 to no. 13. Jack Nicklaus is second, taking 1,029 days. Of course, he has shattered the single-season earning record. While that covers men’s golf, in women’s golf too, Americans dominated. 

Nelly Korda’s LPGA dominance by the numbers

The telltale signs were already there in the beginning. Nelly Korda was in a blistering run. She netted five consecutive titles, matching Nancy Lopez. But how good was her golf? Well, Justin Ray shared that the Bradenton resident shot 63.2% of her rounds in the 60s. That’s a record by itself in the history of the LPGA Tour. The world no. 1 was also second in strokes gained (69.56) this season. 

Moreover, Korda is the only third player in the history of women’s golf to have ticked all three of these boxes. 1. Become a Player of the Year. 2. Be part of the winning Solheim Cup team. 3. Win seven times or more in a season. Only two other players before Korda have done that: Annika Sorenstam in 2003 and Beth Daniel in 2000. Well, that’s as good as it gets for an American golf fan.