Scottie Scheffler leaves news conference attendees in stitches with Tiger remark
Here is what Scottie Scheffler had to say after the PGA Tour superstar was told he is likely the best player since Tiger Woods.
World number one Scottie Scheffler revealed an hilarious fan interaction at Riviera illustrated how it's still far too soon to be making Tiger Woods comparisons.
Scheffler became the first player in history to defend The Players Championship last weekend.
The American battled through a neck injury to post a blistering, bogey-free final round of 64 at TPC Sawgrass to snatch the victory by one stroke.
It was his second victory in as many weeks after the 27-year-old secured a commanding victory at Bay Hill.
After his breakout victory in Phoenix two years ago, Scheffler has barely slowed down.
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Since 1 January 2022, Scheffler was won nine times and missed only three cuts. He's now passed $50,000,000 in PGA Tour prize money.
Of course, the natural reaction to such imperious form is to compare Scheffler to Mr. Woods.
Scheffler is of course flattered to be compared to the 48-year-old living legend.
But he revealed a sobering and hilarious reason as to why we should perhaps cool it with the comparisons.
A reporter asked Scheffler: "Obviously like a lot of younger players of your generation guys idolised Tiger, which you've spoke about before. Was there any part of you when you maybe were trying to dream of what you're doing right now that thought about being as dominant as Tiger was?
"I know obviously he's won a lot more, but you're on a path right now. The results are dominant, and I'm just kind of curious if you feel that way?"
"I think that's a funny question," Scheffler replied.
He added: "I'm not going to remember the exact numbers, but like we're playing at Riv this year, and I hit my tee ball and this guy yells out, like, 'Congrats on being No. 1 Scottie. 11 more years to go.' 11 more years to go."
This was a clear reference to the fact Woods was the top-ranked golfer in the world from August 1999 to September 2004 and again from June 2005 to October 2010.
If you're bad at the maths, that's 281 weeks Woods spent at the summit of men's professional golf.
Is Scottie Scheffler the best player since Tiger Woods?
— GolfMagic (@GolfMagic) March 19, 2024
"Anytime you can be compared to Tiger I think is really special, but, I mean, the guy stands alone I think in our game," Scheffler added.
"He really does. This is my eighth tournament win now out here, I've tied him in Players Championships. Outside of that, I got 14 more majors and 70-some PGA Tour events to catch up.
"So I think I'm going to stick to my routine and just continue to plot along, try and stay as even keeled as I can.
"We all idolise Tiger. He's been our guy. Watching what he did in special moments over the years is crazy to watch.
"I've learned a lot just from being around him. We're just very thankful that he's still a part of our sport."
Watch the moment here:
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Ben joined GolfMagic as Content Executive in September 2021 just before the Ryder Cup and has contributed significantly to the growth of the site. Ben now assumes our Content Manager role, specialising in PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf content.
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