Scottie Scheffler is starting to mimic Tiger Woods’s domination on the golf course.
Now, the biggest question for the business of golf is: Can Scheffler mimic Woods’s off-course impact on the sport, too?
Scheffler won The Open Championship at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland by four strokes Sunday, his second major of the year, following his victory at the PGA Championship in May.
He takes home a $3.1 million winner’s check from The Open’s $17 million purse, which boosts his career earnings to $90.99 million, which remains fourth all-time, behind Woods, Rory McIlroy, and Phil Mickelson.
Scheffler, 29, has now won four major championships, including two Masters, and three legs of the career Grand Slam, which he’ll have the opportunity to complete at the 2026 U.S. Open.
“It really wasn’t that long ago when critics and people like us were sitting up here and wondering how golf was going to survive or carry on in a post-Tiger Woods era,” Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee said on Live From the Open after Scheffler’s win.
Rory McIlroy, the No. 2-ranked golfer in the world who completed the career Grand Slam at the Masters in April, said Scheffler “is the bar we’ve all been trying to get to.”
“I can’t help but think that we are on an inevitable march towards one of the greatest careers in the history of golf,” Chamblee said.
Eye of the Tiger?
While Scheffler is playing the most dominant stretch of golf from a single player since Woods’s prime, it remains to be seen whether he can bring in new fans—and money—into the sport like Tiger Mania did.
So far, Scheffler hasn’t proven to be a TV ratings draw during his major championship victories. The final round of May’s PGA Championship averaged 4.76 million viewers on CBS, which was down 4% from last year. For the 2024 Masters, Scheffler’s most recent major win before this year, CBS drew 9.589 million viewers during the final round, which was down 20% compared to 2023.
Viewership figures for NBC’s final round coverage of the Open Championship will be released later this week. NBC Sports announced that Round 2 coverage Friday—as Scheffler shot up the leaderboard with a seven-under 64—averaged 1.2 million viewers, which is up 37% compared to last year.
Scheffler in the Spotlight
Next month, Scheffler will be the favorite to win another Tour Championship and FedEx Cup, as the top player heading into the PGA Tour’s revamped playoffs that include a new payout structure.
In September, Scheffler will be the top golfer on the U.S. Ryder Cup team, as the Americans look to avenge their 2023 loss in Rome, this time on home soil at Bethpage Black Golf Course in New York.
