12 hours ago
Tour Championship: Scottie Scheffler Derails Tiger Woods Comparison as 'Silly'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
We're just hours away from the final leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, and Scottie Scheffler has never looked more locked in. The world No. 1 arrives at East Lake with five wins this season and a chance to become the first player to win back-to-back FedEx Cups.
But none of this was handed to him when he first picked up the club. It was only through patience, practice and persistence that the "Tiger-esque" level of greatness was achieved.
Since last year, there has been this whole debate around Scheffler being the "next Tiger Woods." But when the same was asked to him, the 29-year-old Texan bluntly derailed the ongoing comparison as 'silly.'
LA JOLLA, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 16: A detail view of a pin worn by Scottie Scheffler of the United States in honor of Tiger Woods' mother Kultida "Tida" Woods on the first green during the...
LA JOLLA, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 16: A detail view of a pin worn by Scottie Scheffler of the United States in honor of Tiger Woods' mother Kultida "Tida" Woods on the first green during the final round of The Genesis Invitational 2025 at Torrey Pines Golf Course on February 16, 2025 in La Jolla, California (Photo by) More
Getty Images
"I think it's very silly to be compared to Tiger Woods," he told reporters during the Wednesday conference. "I think Tiger is a guy that 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 intensity, Scheffler thinks, is what separates champions from contenders.
"I talk about a mental change I made because I played one round of golf with him in a tournament," he added during the press conference. "I've only played one round of tournament golf with Tiger Woods, and it completely changed the way I look at how I play tournaments.
"He had this chip shot, and he looked at it like it was an up-and-down to win the tournament. I'm like, this is incredible. I've never seen anything like this before in my life."
Not only this, but Scheffler also came clean about the one lesson from Big Cat that changed his golfing journey and mindset.
Scheffler Reveals Tiger Woods Lesson That Still Drives Him to Be No.1
"My biggest takeaway from playing with Tiger (Woods) was the amount of intensity that he took to every shot," Scheffler told reporters one day before teeing off at East Lake. "Tiger was just different in the sense of the way he approached each shot; it was like the last shot he was ever going to hit."
That round came at the 2020 COVID-era Masters, where the 15-time major winner made a 10 on the infamous par-3 12th hole. But instead of coasting to the finish, he birdied five of the last six holes.
"He's won the Masters four or five times. Best finish he's going to have is like 20th place at this point," Scheffler recalled during the same conversation. "I just admired the intensity that he brought to each round, and that's something I try to emulate."
Scheffler's own approach has since evolved.
"If I'm going to take time to come out here each week -- like it's not an easy thing to play a golf tournament. If I'm going to take a week off, I might as well just stay home. I'm not going to come out here to take a week off. If I'm playing in a tournament, I'm going to give it my all. That's really all it boils down to," he told reporters during the Wednesday conference.
More Golf: Ben Griffin Blames Creatine 'Overdose' for Derailing BMW Championship Run
