Scottie Scheffler just opened his season with a blistering 9-under 63 at The AMEX Championship. The dominance was immediate, demolishing the benchmark set by nine previous #1 reigning golfers, including Tiger Woods.

Scheffler made the turn at 6-under 30, carding birdies on holes 10, 13, 14, and 17. He added three more on the back nine (holes 11, 12, and 17) with just one bogey on hole 18. His 63 demolished the record of opening rounds of 66 by reigning #1 golfers. This round also marked the 4x major winner’s 17th round of 63 or lower on the PGA Tour over the last 5 seasons, 4 more than Russell Henley in this span.

Tiger Woods shot 66 in the opening round of the 2007 Buick Invitational, while he was in his 10th reign as world number 1 golfer from June 12, 2005, to October 30, 2010. This historic run was 281 weeks long. But here’s the bigger picture. At this $9.2 million event, Scheffler is marking his 141st consecutive week as world No. 1; that’s exactly halfway to Tiger Woods’s seemingly impossible aforementioned record. Scheffler’s current reign started May 21, 2023—his fourth stint overall at No. 1.

To surpass Woods, the 29-year-old Texan must hold the top spot until October 16, 2028. It’s ambitious but certainly not impossible. The four-time major champion might surpass or touch the 15-time major champion record, but he doesn’t like the comparisons.

He said, “It’s very silly to be compared to Tiger Woods. I think Tiger is a guy who stands alone in the game of golf, and I think he always will. Tiger inspired a whole generation of golfers. You’ve grown up watching that guy do what he did week in, week out; it was pretty amazing to see.”

That respect runs deep and is earned through experience, not just admiration from afar.

The only time Scottie Scheffler and Tiger Woods played together as professionals was on Sunday, November 15, 2020, during the final round of the Masters Tournament at Augusta National. Scheffler finished T19 with a 282 (-6), while Woods struggled to a 287, including a notorious triple-bogey 10 on the par-3 12th hole. Yet even after that disaster, Woods battled back with late birdies, showing the competitive fire that defined his career.

“I always found myself just a little bit on the outside looking in, and that’s one of the things I learned from playing with Tiger,” Scheffler reflected.

It’s impressive to break Tiger Woods’s record, but Scheffler is going after something much bigger, and the numbers show that he might be able to do it.

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Veteran insight on Scottie Scheffler’s game

Scheffler’s grip on world No. 1 isn’t just strong; it’s commanding. He has 223 more OWGR points than Rory McIlroy and 370 more than Tommy Fleetwood. The gap gets bigger because McIlroy and Fleetwood play in both the PGA Tour and DPWT events. DPWT tournaments give out fewer OWGR points. For instance, the Hero Dubai Desert Classic only gives out 30–34 points, while the American Express winner gets 50–52.

Rocco Mediate sees something unique in Scheffler.

“He doesn’t have any foul, foul balls. The other guys do,” Mediate observed. “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.”

Some of the other big goals seem achievable, too.

For instance, Scheffler has earned about $99 million on the PGA Tour, which is only $20 million less than Woods’s PGA Tour career earnings. If he wins the American Express, it will be his 20th PGA Tour title, which would tie him with Hale Irwin and Greg Norman for 35th all-time.

Clearly, the four-time major winner is quickly building his legacy, but not everyone is sure.

“It’s not close yet,” said Trey Wingo, emphasizing the grueling requirement for Scheffler to become the best. “He can’t take a week off. There can’t be a single week where he falls for him to have a chance to get to where Tiger Woods has been.”

Scheffler has repeatedly said comparisons to Tiger are unfair, perhaps because he knows they are almost impossible. There is no room for error if you want to stay No. 1 until October 2028.