Scottie Scheffler vs. Tiger Woods: How 4-time major champion’s run of dominance compares to golf legend’s peak

Anyone hoping for some suspense during the final round of golf’s final major of 2025 was disappointed, as Scottie Scheffler cruised to his second major championship of the year in one of the his most dominant performances yet. 

Scheffler finished 17-under par, leading by as much as eight on Sunday and keeping a safe distance between himself and the rest of the leaderboard.

Fans who have been waiting for a player who can win as frequently and as easily as Tiger Woods once did might finally have their closest answer in Scheffler, even if no one stands much of a chance of rivaling Woods’ run of dominance at his peak.

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Here’s a look at how Scheffler’s current run stacks up against Woods’ best stretch.

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Scottie Scheffler vs. Tiger Woods, by the numbers

Woods was not only routinely winning majors, but setting records before he even turned 25. Scheffler, meanwhile, didn’t win a major until he was 25. In many ways, there is no comparison between the two — but as far as golf’s stars who have come after Woods, Scheffler might be the closest the game has seen to the legend. 

It’s no secret that Scheffler was a bit of a late bloomer compared to Woods — the same can be said for most players — but his consistency over his first 25 major appearances exceeds Woods with 20 top-25 finishes. 

Number of top-25 finishes in first 25 major championship starts:

Bobby Jones – 23/25
Ben Hogan – 20/25
Jack Nicklaus – 22/25
Tiger Woods – 18/25
Scottie Scheffler – 20/25*

*This week is Scottie’s 25th major and would be his 20th top-25. #GolfHistory#TheOpen…

— John Morton, PGA (@JohnMorton215) July 19, 2025

Here’s a closer comparison between the first 25 major starts for Woods and Scheffler:

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While Woods’ six wins over his first 25 major starts beat Scheffler’s four, their overall results are strikingly similar. Scheffler matches Woods’ nine top-five finishes over his first 25 major appearances, and his 16 top-10 finishes easily clear Woods’ 12. 

The caveat, of course, is Woods’ first 25 major appearances came between the ages of 19 and 25. For Scheffler, that stretch comes between ages 19 and 29, with only three starts before he turned 23. Woods, by comparison, had already won five majors by his 25th birthday. 

Scottie’s peak numbers are probably about to go up again after this week. He’ll never reach 2000 Tiger, but there’s probably going to be an increasingly big gap between him and everyone else. pic.twitter.com/vc2BuR7yXq

— Kyle Porter (@KylePorterNS) July 20, 2025

In a wild coincidence, Scheffler’s fourth major win on Sunday came exactly 1,197 days after his first major win — the exact same length of time between Woods’ first and fourth major victories.

Tiger’s 1st major win: 1997 Masters
Tiger’s 4th major win: 2000 Open
1,197 days apart

Scottie’s 1st major win: 2022 Masters
Scottie’s 4th major win: 2025 Open
1,197 days apart pic.twitter.com/VjjgHhsg4M

— claire rogers (@kclairerogers) July 20, 2025

The pace Scheffler is on, even given the age difference, is remarkable. Whether he can sustain it well into his 30s will dictate his chances of even coming close to threatening Woods’ mark of 15 major championships, but his consistency and even-keeled approach offer a promising outlook for his chances of taking this stretch of major dominance into 2026 and beyond.

MORE: Largest margins of victory at Open Championship

How many majors has Scottie Scheffler won?

Scheffler now has four career major championships and is a U.S. Open win away from the career grand slam.

Among active golfers, that puts Scheffler in the company of four other players: Woods, Phil Mickelson, Rory McIlroy and Brooks Koepka, with the caveat that Woods did not compete in a major in 2025 after tearing his Achilles. 

Scheffler is also now one of 30 players in history to win four major championships.