Scottie Scheffler’s latest win comes with a remarkable world ranking side note

It’s been some year for Scottie Scheffler. (But you already knew that.)

A change of putting grip didn’t seem to hinder the World No.1 at the Hero World Challenge as he cruised to a six-shot victory in the Bahamas.

It’s his ninth title in a year that also saw him record second wins at each of the Masters, Arnold Palmer Invitational and Players Championship, as well as the RBC Heritage, Memorial and Travelers.

His regular season also ended with a Tour Championship triumph and the colossal riches that winning the FedEx Cup brings.

There was also the small matter of bringing home the Olympic gold medal from Paris.

“I’m not really sure how to assess it,” Scheffler said when asked for his thoughts on his incredible campaign. “It’s just been pretty surreal. It’s been a lot of fun. I’m just really grateful.”

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It was also, it turns out, a top-five year in terms of the Official World Golf Ranking.

According to X account VC606, a self-proclaimed OWGR expert, Scheffler’s season is the fourth best of the world rankings era, which began in 1986.

No prizes for guessing who owns the top three, while Vijay Singh’s incredible 2004 drops to fifth.

As VC606 notes, these are the only five times a player has earned more than 700 points in a single year.

🚨BREAKING

Most world ranking points earned in a calendar year since the inception of #OWGR:

1. Tiger Woods (2000)
2. Tiger Woods (2005)
3. Tiger Woods (2006)
4. Scottie Scheffler (2024)
5. Vijay Singh (2004)

The only 5 times when a player exceeded 700 points in a year!

— Nosferatu (@VC606) December 8, 2024

If you want to get really into the numbers, it means Scheffler leads second-ranked Xander Schauffele by almost 6.8 points.

“For reference,” the account adds, “that difference means that in order to catch Scottie, Xander would need to win three majors vs Scottie having three MCs…”

Meanwhile, two-time DP World Tour winner Byeong Hun An, who now plays most of his golf on the American circuit, posted: “I don’t care what anyone says, Scottie this season was as good as one of Tiger’s best seasons on tour.”

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As you might expect, that whipped up a bit of a backlash.

“Guys, I’m not saying he is as good as Tiger,” An added. “But Scottie’s 2024 definitely goes into one of the best.

“If you really know golf, and when you look at his golfing stats (not winning or tournaments) it’s a phenomenal season.”

Seems like lots of old people got offended by my tweet. Like how they debate about Jack vs Tiger

— Byeong Hun An (@ByeongHunAn) December 9, 2024

Maybe one day it will be Jack versus Tiger versus Scottie.

Alex Perry is the Associate Editor of bunkered. A journalist for more than 20 years, he has been a golf industry stalwart for the majority of his career and, in a five-year spell at ESPN, covered every sporting event you can think of. He completed his own Grand Slam at the 2023 Masters, having fallen in love with the sport at his hometown club of Okehampton and on the links of nearby Bude & North Cornwall.

Associate Editor