Scottie Scheffler could match long-time Tiger Woods PGA Tour record this week
Scottie Scheffler will need a big performance, but he could emulate Tiger Woods' long-standing GIR percentage record on the PGA Tour at the Tour Championship.
Scottie Scheffler is not only on the verge of winning his first-ever FedEx Cup at the Tour Championship this week but also matching a long-standing Tiger Woods PGA Tour record.
Scheffler, 27, takes a two-stroke lead into the Tour Championship where the winner takes home the coveted FedEx Cup.
The winner also pockets an $18m bonus.
While Scheffler has struggled somewhat on the greens, ranking well down the list for strokes-gained putting, he has been seriously hot with his irons.
He's managed to win twice this season, but if truth be told it should probably have been five or maybe even six victories such has been his dominance from tee to green on the PGA Tour in 2023.
One particular little nugget that might interest World No.1 Scheffler this week is that he can become the first player to finish a PGA Tour season with a Greens in Regulation (GIR) percentage of 75% or higher since a certain Tiger Woods in 2000.
Woods incredibly hit 75.15% of all greens on the PGA Tour in 2000.
Many agree that was the greatest year of Woods' career given he won nine times on the PGA Tour including three straight majors.
That saw him complete the career grand slam.
Woods then made it four straight majors when slipping on the green jacket in April 2001.
So how many greens in regulation does Scheffler need to hit at East Lake this week to join Woods in the record books this week?
Well, quite a lot actually!
According to PGA Tour stats guru Justin Ray, Scheffler must hit 62 greens in regulation this week to edge over the 75% mark.
If Scottie Scheffler hits 62 or more greens in regulation this week, he will be the first player to finish a PGA Tour season with a GIR percentage of 75% or higher since Tiger Woods in 2000.
— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf) August 21, 2023
Golf Channel commentator Trevor Immelman then asked Ray what Scheffler's career-best GIR is in one tournament, to which Ray scrolled the archives before replying 61.
It will therefore take Scheffler's greatest GIR performance of his career on the PGA Tour this week to see him join Woods on the magic 75% mark.
His career high in a single PGA Tour event is 61. Incredibly steep hill to climb, even if it's mathematically possible. https://t.co/kSK1HjKVmF
— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf) August 21, 2023
Scheffler will no doubt just be hoping to win the Tour Championship and with it capture the season-long FedEx Cup for the first time in his career this week.
But should he keep his iron and wedge game hot this week, he could match a record that nobody saw possible when Woods did what he did in 2000.
With 1 week to go in the season, Scottie Scheffler has all but cemented the 2nd-best strokes gained tee-to-green season since tracking began 20 years ago.
Best single-season averages -
2006 Tiger Woods, +2.98
2023 Scottie Scheffler, +2.74
2007 Tiger Woods, +2.37— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf) August 21, 2023
Scheffler has at least locked up the second-best strokes-gained tee-to-green season since Shot Tracking began 20 years ago.
While Woods leads the way on +2.98 from the 2006 season, Scheffler is currently at +2.74 for this season.
Ray confirmed one stat was broken last week, but perhaps one of the dullest records ever compiled on the PGA Tour.
The new record belongs to Brendon Todd, who made the most pars in a PGA Tour event at the BMW Championship.
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