Tiger Woods‘s 15 majors are protected by time. From 1996, he has given years that feel impossible to replicate. Yet, as the PGA Tour leads to its second event of the 2026 season at La Quinta, one such ‘unbreakable’ record is quietly being halved by Scottie Scheffler.

At the $9.2 million American Express, Scheffler is set to mark his 141st consecutive week as World No. 1 in the OWGR. And that’s regardless of what result he gives in the event. With this mark, the 29-year-old will successfully reach the halfway point of Tiger Woods’s long-assumed untouchable record: 281 straight weeks at the top.

Tiger Woods’s historic run started on June 12, 2005, and lasted till October 30, 2010. On the other hand, Scheffler’s current reign began on May 21, 2023. This marks his fourth overall stint as world no. 1 and impressively has barely wavered since. Now, if the Texan wants to surpass Woods’s record, he would need to remain No. 1 until October 16, 2028, as per TrackingScheffler on X. Sounds tough, but it seems less unrealistic than before, especially if you take into account how far ahead Scheffler is.

The 4x major winner currently holds a 223-point lead over World No. 2 Rory McIlroy and a 370-point lead over #3 Tommy Fleetwood in the OWGR. This can break, but McIlroy and Fleetwood also play actively on the DPWT, missing the PGA Tour events. DPWT events have fewer OWGR points than the PGA Tour. For instance, the winner of the American Express will take home 50-52 OWGR points, and the winner of DPWT’s Hero Dubai Desert Classic will take home 30-34 points.

And these are the stats that make several believe firmly in Scheffler’s game. One such name is Rocco Mediate.

“He [Scheffler] doesn’t have any foul, foul balls. The other guys do,” Mediate said. “So the way he drives it, if he continues to play, if he doesn’t quit, he will surpass Tiger’s No. 1 ranking in this run, I’m telling you, unless he gets hurt.”

Numbers do back Mediate’s assessment. Scottie Scheffler has won the PGA Tour Player of the Year award four years in a row now. He already owns four majors and might add a few more this year. At the American Express, Scheffler is entering as a 5/2 favorite. If he ends up winning, this would be his 20th PGA Tour title, and he will tie for 35th on the all-time wins list alongside Hale Irwin and Greg Norman.

There are several areas where Scheffler holds a far better chance of surpassing Woods’s records. As of January 2025, Scheffler has earned roughly $99 million from his PGA Tour career earning He’s just $20 million short of Woods’s career total. At the same time, another category where he holds a possible edge is the Ryder Cup’s singles play. Scheffler is unbeaten in the format (2-0-1), despite a really bad record of 3-6-3 through his three appearances. Yet, his singles score can ultimately outdo Woods’s 4-2-2.

But some, such as Trey Wingo, are not ready to anoint Scottie Scheffler as Tiger Woods’s heir just yet.

“It’s not close yet,” he said last year. “He can’t take a week off,” Wingo said about the No. 1-ranked record. “There can’t be a single week where he falls for him to have a chance to get to where Tiger Woods has been.”

Perhaps this impossibility has dawned on the Texan as well, who has several times brushed off such comparisons.

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Scottie Scheffler’s relentless chase has no finish line.

Ahead of the 2026 American Express, Scottie Scheffler was quite critical about his performance. Even after spending hundreds of weeks as the world’s best player, the 29-year-old thinks he lacks perfection.

“I think I have the understanding that I’m never going to get there [perfection],” he said. “This is a game that can’t be perfected.”

Scheffler believes that he needs to get “better” and “sharper” to actually arrive at a place where he is satisfied with his game. As a golfer, that’s what he is chasing. And this very mindset explains his gold-standard resume as well. But it also reveals the external validation he lives for. After he won the Open Championship last year, he shared how he has worked his entire life to be good at golf. Yet, he wouldn’t want to be an inspiration to the next generation. Why?

“Because what’s the point?” he said.

With this very perspective, he comes back to La Quinta, a tournament he has played six times but hasn’t won once. Will this be the year?