Scottie Scheffler competed in 58 tournaments in more than two years between earning a PGA Tour card and winning his first Phoenix Open. It turned out that this was just the beginning of a year that surpassed all others in golf.
A month later, Scheffler rose to number 1 in the world. Two weeks later he became Major Champion by winning the Masters. And on Saturday, he capped his remarkable rise when he was named PGA Tour Player of the Year.
Scheffler can move a lot in a short time once he gets going.
He became the first player since the awards began in 1990 to be named Korn Ferry Tour Player of the Year, PGA Tour Rookie of the Year and PGA Tour Player of the Year in four seasons.
The award is a vote from PGA Tour members who have competed in at least 15 tournaments. Scheffler received 89% of the vote ahead of British Open champion Cam Smith and FedEx Cup champion Rory McIlroy, both three-time winners and following him in the world rankings.
The only surprise belonged to Scheffler. He received the Jack Nicklaus Award during an appearance at ESPN’s College GameDay in Austin, Texas. Scheffler graduated from McCombs School of Business in Texas in four years with a degree in finance without attending summer school.
He was on stage with the Texas golf team that won the NCAA championship that year when Longhorns coach John Fields gave him what he called a special gift. It was the bronze trophy and the fans started chanting his name.
“That’s pretty cool,” Scheffler said, choking. “I don’t have much to say. I definitely didn’t expect that. But it means a lot to me.”
The Masters was Scheffler’s fourth win in six tournaments, and while he didn’t win the rest of the season, he was never far away. His close friend Sam Burns beat him in a decider at the Colonial. He finished the US Open a shot behind Matt Fitzpatrick.
And then he almost ended the season with the FedEx Cup until McIlroy tracked him down in the final round of the Tour Championship.
Scheffler had to settle for a tie in second place and a $5.75 million bonus. He also won a $4 million bonus for leading the regular season’s FedEx Cup – he was No. 1 for the last 23 weeks of the season – and a $1 million bonus from the Aon Risk-Reward challenges.
His regular-season earnings were a record $14,046,910, giving him a combined income of just under $25 million.
“Undoubtedly one of the greatest compliments a player can receive is the support from their peers, and the fact that Scottie’s season has been both dominant and consistent spoke volumes for the membership,” Commissioner Jay Monahan said in a statement.
Smith’s three wins came at the Sentry Tournament of Champions, the Players Championship and the British Open at St Andrews, where he shot 30 for the back nine.
McIlroy won the CJ Cup in Las Vegas last fall, the RBC Canadian Open in June and the Tour Championship. He was the only player to finish in the top 10 in all four majors. He won the FedEx Cup for the third time.
Even then, McIlroy could appreciate the year Scheffler was having.
“He maybe deserves this more than I do. He’s had an incredible season,” said McIlroy. “A damn good player, a damn good competitor. An even better person. I love his family.”