Scottie Scheffler Has Earned More In Five Events Than Jack Nicklaus Did In His PGA Tour Career

In winning three of the past five PGA Tour events he’s entered, Scottie Scheffler has done something that Jack Nicklaus never did: ascend to the No. 1 spot in the Official World Golf Ranking. Okay, it bears noting that golf’s OWGR didn’t actually start until 1986, the year Nicklaus won his record 18th and final major at the age of 46.

While the official golf rankings can now change every week, it wasn’t really a thing during Nicklaus’s heyday. But the Golden Bear was recognized as the No. 1 player in Mark McCormack’s end-of-year World of Professional Golf Annual every year from 1968 to 1977. Nicklaus ultimately earned over $5.7 million over the course of his Hall of Fame career on the PGA Tour.

Scheffler, 25, has eclipsed that total in six weeks. Yes, professional golf’s prize money today obviously dwarfs that of yesteryear, but it’s eye-opening nonetheless.

Scheffler collected $2.1 million for his convincing win at the World Golf Championships Dell Technologies Match Play event, just over three weeks after he pocketed more than $2.1 million for his victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. The young Texan, who turned pro in 2018, also earned almost $1.5 million last month with his playoff win at the Waste Management Phoenix Open — his first PGA Tour title.

In the span of six weeks, Scheffler has not only climbed atop the Official World Golf Ranking, he’s also collected almost $6.2 million in winnings.

“I guess I’m making up for a little bit of lost time maybe the last few weeks,” said Scheffler, who by the way also made more than $6 million over his first 70 PGA Tour starts prior to his breakthrough win in Arizona. “I really don’t know what to say. My head is kind of spinning right now, to be honest.”

Scheffler, naturally, is among the oddsmakers’ favorites heading into the April 7-10 Masters Tournament, where Nicklaus won a record six times. Scheffler has finished in the top 20 in his only two appearances at Augusta National, including a tie for 18th last year.