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153rd Open Championship Scottie Scheffler USA on the 13th tee during the first round at the 153rd Open Championship, Royal Portrush Golf Club, Portrush, Co. Antrim, Ireland. 17/07/2025 Picture: Golffile Thos Caffrey All photo usage must carry mandatory copyright credit Golffile Thos Caffrey Copyright: xThosxCaffrevx *EDI*
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153rd Open Championship Scottie Scheffler USA on the 13th tee during the first round at the 153rd Open Championship, Royal Portrush Golf Club, Portrush, Co. Antrim, Ireland. 17/07/2025 Picture: Golffile Thos Caffrey All photo usage must carry mandatory copyright credit Golffile Thos Caffrey Copyright: xThosxCaffrevx *EDI*
Scottie Scheffler didn’t even play at Torrey Pines, yet his name dominated every conversation. He’s become golf’s measuring stick, whether he tees it up or not. During CBS Sports’ media call, Jim Nantz quantified exactly how many times that standard will crush dreams in 2026.
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“Here it is,” Nantz smiled as the media call wrapped up. “Scottie Scheffler’s total wins in 2026. A: 1–4, B: 5–7, C: 8 and above.”
Lead analyst Trevor Immelman chose A, specifically predicting four wins. Nantz went with B—5 to 7 victories. That’s not optimism. That’s a warning based on what Scheffler’s already proven he can do.
The track record is terrifying.
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In 2024, Scheffler won seven times, including his second Masters title and Olympic gold. Several of his biggest wins came by commanding margins.
He led the Tour in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green, Approach, and Total while posting the lowest scoring average. Then 2025 happened.
Two more majors, the PGA Championship and The Open Championship, plus four other victories. Thirteen wins across two seasons. Zero missed cuts since August 2022, a streak now at 65 consecutive events.
The warning is simple.
Scottie Scheffler’s already won 13 times in two years. Add five to seven more, and the math becomes devastating: 20 wins in 36 months. That’s not a streak. That’s an era.
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U.S. PGA, Golf Herren Championship 2025 Scottie Scheffler USA during prize giving on the 18th green of U.S. Pga Championship 2025, Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte, North Carolina, United States of America. 18/05/25. Picture Stefano Di Maria / Golffile.ie All photo usage must carry mandatory copyright credit Golffile Stefano Di Maria Charlotte Quail Hollow Club North Carolina United States of America Copyright: xStefanoxDixMariax *EDI*
And this season, his American Express win two weeks ago marked career win number 20.
At just 29, he joined Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus as the only players to capture 20 Tour titles and four majors before turning 30. He’s also crossed $100 million in career earnings, joining an exclusive club with Woods and Rory McIlroy. At the AmEx, he finished 27-under with surgical precision, eight birdie conversions from inside five feet.
When Immelman says Scheffler is “like the ocean—he doesn’t stop, he just keeps coming,” it’s not hyperbole. It’s what keeps competitors awake at night.
The transformation came through his putter.
Two years ago, the stroke looked funky; he’d strike it out of the heel, miss right frequently. Immelman saw it as Scheffler’s weakness. But not anymore.
The adoption of a claw-grip in late 2024 turned his Achilles heel into a weapon.
“He’s gone ahead and turned that weakness into a strength over the last two seasons,” Immelman observed.
Jason Dufner also believes Scheffler discovered “that special secret that gives him an edge.”
Meanwhile, Cam Young points to his mental game: “You can’t perform at that level unless you’re kind of special between the ears.”
Young notes Scheffler never forces anything, just steps up and executes with frightening consistency.
This week, Scottie Scheffler heads to TPC Scottsdale for the WM Phoenix Open. He’s won it twice (2022, 2023) and owns a 67.25 scoring average across six appearances with four top-10 finishes.
While the predictions from the booth tell one story, the reactions from those chasing Scheffler on the course reveal something deeper!
Competitors send a clear message: Scottie Scheffler’s gap is widening
Justin Rose just destroyed every Farmers Insurance Open record, finishing 23-under for a seven-shot win. His Twitter response?
“Number 3 in the Official World Golf Ranking. I’m coming for you Scottie!!”
The humor masked brutal math, though. Scheffler leads Rose by nearly 12 OWGR points. Rose would need roughly 10 consecutive wins just to close that gap, assuming Scheffler scores zero points. It’s not happening.
Cam Young finally broke through with his first Tour win last August. He’s studied Scottie Scheffler closely. His assessment cuts deep: the mental game sets Scheffler apart from everyone else.
“He has something special about the mental side of the game,” Young remarked.
Regardless of skill level, sustained elite execution requires exceptional mental fortitude. Scheffler never tries anything special or forces shots – just makes good swings consistently.
Even 18-year-old Blades Brown, who played alongside Scheffler in the AmEx final round, was awestruck.
“Getting to play with Scottie Scheffler and see him win was insane,” Brown said.
He pointed out how underrated Scheffler’s short game is. The trajectory, spin, and control with wedges are elite-level tools that television doesn’t capture properly.
The respect from peers isn’t admiration, it’s acknowledgement of an unbridgeable gap. When Immelman says Scheffler “absolutely keeps his competition awake at night,” he means it literally.
Every player knows teeing it up means battling someone operating at Tiger-in-his-prime levels. Nantz’s prediction of 5-7 wins suddenly doesn’t seem bold. It seems conservative.