When you think of the best golfer in this generation, who do you think of? There are a few names that come to our minds: Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Bryson DeChambeau, and a few more. Narrow it down to the best American golfer, and you might have just two names remaining. And when you’re going to ask PGA Tour pros about it, they might be a little more biased towards Scheffler than their peer from LIV Golf. But when we look at the broader spectrum of the best American athlete, the #1 golfer might not always be the first pick. And that’s what some of Scheffler’s peers also believe.

The PGA Tour raised the question for its players, and they, too, had varying answers. The lineup of stars featured the likes of Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, and Co., and each of them had a different response to the question. Here’s what they answered:

• Justin Thomas:  “Best American athlete? Just among all sports? Everybody’s definition of an athlete is different. That’s not fair.”
• Jordan Spieth: “Connor McDavid’s Canadian. He has beaten up all my stars. I mean, I love Steph Curry. Is he the greatest athlete in the world right now? He’s probably one of them. Let’s go with Steph. I can’t pick a golfer.”
• Max Homa: “That’s a really good question. I mean, just out of pure athleticism, Saquon Barkley seems way up there. It’s hard not to say Scottie Scheffler!”
• Collin Morikawa: “Like, current? Joey Chestnut, probably. I’m proud I even got that answer.”
• Sahith Theegala: “I’m just gonna go with Steph Curry. I love Steph. Stephen! I know he doesn’t like to be called Steph. Stephen Curry.”
• Maverick McNealy: “I would say Scottie Scheffler has the best head-to-head record of any American athlete. So I’m going to go with him.”

While Thomas thought the question was subjective, others had a very clear response to it. Spieth and Theegala picked NBA great Stephen Curry even though the former wanted to pick Canadian Ice Hockey star Connor McDavid. Morikawa had an interesting pick as he chose competitive eater, Joey Chestnut. Homa chose Saquon Barkley and also suggested Scheffler to be right up there. Only McNealy thought that the #1 is clearly the best American athlete.

Despite that, Scottie Scheffler is undoubtedly the best golfer in the world right now. His outstanding record on the Tour has time and again proven that he is right up there with the best sportspeople in the world. Let’s compare how he fares against some of the greats who have moved the needle in golf.

Scottie Scheffler against the history of golf

For the last four years, Scottie Scheffler has absolutely dominated the PGA Tour with his outstanding run. Scoring 16 titles in his time, he has undoubtedly earned the title of being the best golfer in the world. The 28-year-old has also been judged the Player of the Year for three seasons in a row, further proving his dominance on the course. Over this period, he has also achieved some records that suggest why he draws comparisons with Tiger Woods. Recently, Scheffler became the second player after Woods to successfully defend his Memorial Tournament title. Scottie also joined Sam Snead, Jack Nicklaus and Woods in winning 16 tournaments in the shortest period.

In the last three seasons, Scheffler has had the lowest scoring average on the PGA Tour. He has consistently ranged between 68.01 to 68.42 strokes in this period. The last time the 16-time PGA Tour champion didn’t finish 1st was in the 2021-22 season. That was when he had won 4 titles, including his first Green Jacket. So, while he may not be known to be the most athletic, like the perception is for golfers, Scottie Scheffler has definitely earned the title of being the best sportsman in the United States over the past few years.