Scottie Scheffler hailed for ‘Tiger-esque’ PLAYERS win

Victory in The PLAYERS Championship earned Scottie Scheffler a sixth PGA Tour title, $4.5million, a return to world No.1 and arguably the highest praise a golfer can get – comparison to Tiger Woods.

Scheffler converted his 54-hole lead into a five-shot win on a straightforward Sunday at TPC Sawgrass.

With his win, he joins Tiger and Jack as the only players to hold The Masters and The PLAYERS at the same time.

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Even more impressive, however, was the manner of his success. As well as being the first PLAYERS winner ever to lead the field in both driving distance and greens in regulation, he also gained 17.17 strokes on the field from tee-to-green – the most by a winner of the event since tracking began.

Understandably, that left pundits purring.

Appearing on NBC’s “Live From The PLAYERS” coverage, former Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley said: “At risk of using that term too much, it was Tiger-esque. You knew he had another gear.

Players to hold the Masters and Players Championship titles at the same time:

Jack Nicklaus
Tiger Woods
Scottie Scheffler

— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf) March 12, 2023

“He cruised, he didn’t make mistakes. He controlled the tournament. It was a classic performance.”

Sitting alongside McGinley, Brandel Chamblee agreed that Scheffler is on “an incredible run”.

“He’s won six of the last 27 events,” said Chamblee. “He’s changed in ways that statistics can’t really bear out. It’s fun to watch.”

Former US PGA champion Paul Azinger added: “The way he did it, the way he handled his nerves, what an impressive player he’s turned out to be. It was a no-doubter today once he got going.

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‘We watched him lose that big lead at the Tour Championship and while we don’t root for anyone, it was nice to see him close it out.”

Brad Faxon, another former tour pro, echoed those sentiments.

“He doesn’t care about the other players on the golf course,” he said. “He doesn’t care who’s playing with him. He just cares about controlling the controllables. I think the round he played with McIlroy at the Tour Championship, he learned he got a little out of sorts playing with Rory.”

Michael McEwan is the Deputy Editor of bunkered and has been part of the team since 2004. In that time, he has interviewed almost every major figure within the sport, from Jack Nicklaus, to Rory McIlroy, to Donald Trump. The host of the multi award-winning bunkered Podcast and a member of Balfron Golfing Society, Michael is the author of three books and is the 2023 PPA Scotland 'Writer of the Year' and 'Columnist of the Year'. Dislikes white belts, yellow balls and iron headcovers. Likes being drawn out of the media ballot to play Augusta National.

Deputy Editor