Golf-Scheffler draws comparisons to Woods after dominant British Open win
(Reuters) -Scottie Scheffler had already cemented his place among golf's all-time greats, but his commanding four-shot victory at the British Open reignited comparisons to Tiger Woods.
Sunday's final round of the British Open at Royal Portrush was one of the more anticlimactic finishes to a major in recent memory and left many in the world of golf wondering if Scheffler was the heir to Woods' throne.
"I look everywhere and I try to find some kind of a weakness, somewhere where he can get derailed, and I just can't find it," NBC Sports analyst and former Ryder Cup-winning captain Paul McGinley said. "He might even prove to have more longevity than Tiger Woods."
Making comparisons to 15-times major champion Woods may be premature but world number one Scheffler, a four-time major winner, is playing in a league of his own and showing no signs of slowing down.
"I don't think we thought the golfing world would see someone as dominant as Tiger come through so soon, and here's Scottie sort of taking that throne of dominance," said 2024 British Open champion Xander Schauffele.
"You can't even say he's on a run. He's just been killing it for over two years now. He's a tough man to beat, and when you see his name up on the leaderboard, it sucks for us."
Scheffler won the Masters in 2022 and 2024, earned his first PGA Championship title this year followed by his fourth career major with his British Open triumph.
The 29-year-old Texan joined Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player as the only players to win a Masters, PGA Championship and British Open before age 30.
"What he's doing is so dominant and so clinical," said NBC Sports analyst Brandel Chamblee. "I can't help but think that we are on an inevitable march towards one of the greatest careers in the history of golf."
Scheffler's 149-week run as the number one ranked golfer in the world is also the longest since Woods occupied the top spot for a record 281 weeks from 2005 to 2010.
"In a historical context, you could argue that there's only maybe two or three players in the history of the game that have been on a run, the one that Scottie's been on here for the last 24 to 36 months. Incredibly impressive," said world number two Rory McIlroy.
Scheffler, who will undoubtedly be favoured wherever he tees it up for the foreseeable future, will get a chance to become only the seventh player to complete the career Grand Slam of golf's four majors at next June's U.S. Open.
But despite an ability to make a complicated game seem simple at times and leave fellow competitors in awe, Scheffler is not ready to entertain talk about comparisons to Woods.
"Tiger won, what, 15 majors? This is my fourth," Scheffler said after winning the Claret Jug. "I just got one-fourth of the way there. I think Tiger stands alone in the game of golf.
"He was inspirational for me growing up. He was a very, very talented guy, and he was a special person to be able to be as good as he was at the game of golf."
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in TorontoEditing by Toby Davis)
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