Usually, when the golf world faces the question, “Who’s the greatest golfer of all time?” they have two particular names sitting on their tongues: “Jack Nicklaus” or “Tiger Woods.” And for good reasons. Nicklaus has 73 PGA Tour wins on his hands, aside from the 18 major championship wins. On the other hand, Woods has 82 PGA Tour wins (tied with Sam Snead) and 15 major championship wins. However, if you ask the PGA Tour pro Matt Wallace, his answer is going to be a different name.

Much different, in fact. And it has everything to do with Scottie Scheffler’s recent runs leading up to his historic The Open Championship win at Royal Portrush. Following his The Open win, the Texan racked up a number of records up his sleeves, including becoming only the fourth golfer in history to win the Masters, The Open Championship, and PGA Championship before turning 30. This list includes both Nicklaus and Woods.

Yet, Brandel Chamblee believes that the one-time Tour winner, Matt Wallace’s statement was surprising. Recently, Brandel Chamblee sat down for a discussion on The Favorite Chamblee and talked about his meeting with Matt Wallace and his surprising statement during one of their meeting: “I said [to Matt Wallace] ‘what do you think about Scottie Scheffler?’ And after we’d already talked about Portrush he thought was the ‘best course ever for an Open,’ but he said something that caught me by surprise. He said, ‘I think Scottie Scheffler is playing the greatest golf that has ever been played.'”

Matt Wallace is one of the few golfers to think like that. Sure, Scottie Scheffler has 17 PGA Tour wins in his hands and 4 four major wins, yet he is far from the likes of Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. Yes, even with all his recent records following his The Open win. And Chamblee points towards it by giving Tiger Woods’s example, “Tiger, because he was wild, was always looking like he was doing the impossible,” but “Scottie is not wild. He hits where he looks. He does it over and over and over and over. He just piles up great shots. He said, ‘honestly, I think, the greatest golfer that has ever been played in history.”

While Brandel Chamblee’s point is valid, it’s worth noting that Jack Nicklaus himself has drawn comparisons between Scottie Scheffler and his playing style. At the 2025 Memorial Tournament, for instance, he said, “Once I got myself into position to win, then you’ve got to be smart about how you finish it. And that’s the way he’s playing. He reminds me so much of the way I like to play.” So, sure, Scottie Scheffler will need a few more years to catch up to the ranks of his seniors, yet he already has their approval. Especially from both Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods’s former coach, Butch Harmon.

Butch Harmon believes Scottie Scheffler is very similar to Jack Nicklaus

Butch Harmon, a renowned coach who worked closely with Tiger Woods and witnessed Jack Nicklaus’ peak years, has offered a unique perspective on Scottie Scheffler’s game. After Scheffler’s The Open Championship win, Harmon praised the 29-year-old, saying, “In all the comparisons and stuff, the Tiger this and that. I think his greatest attribute he has is that he’s the closest thing I have seen to Jack Nicklaus mentally. He makes no mental mistakes. He dumps the ball in the middle of the green when he has to, his iron control is beautiful.”

Harmon added, “He reminds me more of Jack than he does Tiger. Tiger in winning ways but Jack in the way he plays golf. I have never quite seen a guy who can mimic Nicklaus in the way that he does.” Harmon’s comparison highlights Scheffler’s mental approach to the game, which seems to resemble Nicklaus’. Scheffler’s prioritization of family is also reminiscent of Nicklaus, who once said, “Family first, golf second.” Sounds familiar?

At Royal Portrush, Scottie Scheffler said, “I’m blessed to be able to come out here and play golf. But if my golf ever started affecting my home life or it ever affected the relationship I have with my wife or with my son, that’s going to be the last day that I play out here for a living.”  So, even if the records don’t match up, a few things between them do.