For most players on the PGA TOUR, stacking three straight second-place finishes would be a career-defining hot streak. But for World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, it’s been a stretch that somehow feels empty. He has been right there, knocking on the door at The Masters, the RBC Heritage, and the Cadillac Championship, only to come up just short each time. And yet, in the middle of all that near-miss frustration, he has managed to carve out a piece of history anyway.

Scheffler became the first player in the modern era to record solo second-place finishes in three consecutive starts. He became just the first golfer in 12 years to finish second three times in a row since Sergio Garcia had a similar run in 2014. The only difference was that the Spaniard was tied for second in two of the three events.

Garcia finished T2 at the Travelers Championship, tied with K. J. Choi and two strokes behind Kevin Streelman. A month later at the Royal Liverpool, he tied for second with Rickie Fowler at -15, two behind McIlroy. Two weeks later at the Bridgestone Invitational, Garcia got a solo second-place finish, finishing behind McIlroy by two strokes once again.

Similarly, at Augusta, Scheffler finished one shot behind Rory McIlroy before losing a playoff to Matt Fitzpatrick at Hilton Head. At Doral, he closed with three straight birdies on holes 15 through 17 and still ended up six shots behind Cameron Young, who, by Scheffler’s own admission, was practically impossible to catch.

“On the greens, he was unbelievable this week. For the first 27 holes, I don’t think he missed anything really,” Scheffler said. “First 27 holes I don’t think he missed anything really. It was nuts. Guy was just holing everything. When you’re hitting really good shots and holing a lot of putts, that’s a recipe to run away with a golf tournament.”

Each time Scottie Scheffler fell short, he pointed to the quality of the winner rather than his shortcomings. After Augusta, he noted McIlroy’s resilience, saying he had “competed against him for a long time” and that the player does not win at that rate without being genuinely tough.

After Hilton Head, he credited Fitzpatrick for making something happen every time he needed it.

Scheffler’s streak signals a return to form after a concerning stretch that saw him finish outside the top 10 in three straight events. The T12 finish at the Genesis Invitational ended a run of 18 consecutive top-10 finishes before things got even worse with T24 and T22 finishes at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Players Championship, respectively.

The World No. 1’s streak is no surprise when you look at his form since 2022. Scheffler has been inside the top two after 54 holes 24 times, converting 15 of those into victories for a closing rate of 62.5% that leads every active player on Tour, including McIlroy at 60%. He has not finished outside the top 25 since August 2024!

His consistency is just another chapter in a career already filled with historic records. He is the only golfer in the 50-year history of The PLAYERS Championship to win back-to-back, in 2023 and 2024. In 2024, he became the first male golfer to win the Masters, an Olympic gold medal, and the FedEx Cup in the same calendar year.

That same season, he set the all-time single-season earnings record, surpassing $29 million, and joined Tiger Woods as the only player to win six or more times in consecutive seasons. Further, in 2025, he became the first golfer since John Henry Taylor in 1909 to win four majors, each by three strokes or more. He has also won the Jack Nicklaus Award, the PGA Tour’s Player of the Year, for four straight seasons from 2022 through 2025, only the second player after Woods to do that.

The money tells a similar story. His 2026 earnings have already crossed $10 million, and his career total now sits at over $110 million, closing in fast on McIlroy’s $114 million on the all-time list, with only Woods ahead of both at just under $121 million.

With the PGA Championship at Aronimink two weeks away, Scheffler is skipping the Truist Championship intentionally.

“For me to show up and play my best, I have to have off time,” he had said ahead of the record-setting solo second place at the Cadillac Championship. “That’s something I’ve learned as my career has gone on.”

While this recent run of second-place finishes might frustrate a lesser competitor, Scheffler is already looking ahead, adding a new tournament to his schedule, signaling his intent to keep competing at the highest level.

Scottie Scheffler is set to make his 3M Open debut in July

Scottie Scheffler will tee it up at the 3M Open for the first time this July, organizers confirmed Monday. The tournament is scheduled for July 20-26 at TPC Twin Cities in Blaine; it is Minnesota’s only PGA Tour event, and landing the world’s top player is a significant moment for the event.

“I’m looking forward to playing the 3M Open for the first time,” Scheffler said about it. “I’ve heard great things about the event, and I’m excited to get to Minnesota and compete at TPC Twin Cities.”

Scheffler’s decision to add the 3M Open to his schedule signals he has no plans to ease up, especially as the event is set for the week after the Open Championship. Tournament co-executive director Tracy West called Scheffler’s commitment a boost for what is already shaping up to be a competitive field.

The 3M Open, which first teed off in 2019, has played a key role in backing community programs across Minnesota through the 3M Open Fund. It has distributed over $9 million to local causes. With Scottie Scheffler now involved, the event gains a bigger platform, helping shine a brighter spotlight on the initiatives it supports. And Kady Stoll, vice president of partnerships at 3M, acknowledged this as well.

It will be interesting to see how Scheffler fares.