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Now the GOAT may finally have a successor. Scottie Scheffler has been dubbed the “next Tiger Woods” on several occasions since claiming his second Masters win in three years earlier this month. And not only is he currently ranked world No 1, but he’s also just matched Woods’ achievement for winning four times in five starts at the RBC Heritage on the PGA Tour, per The Independent.

“I talked about it at the beginning of the week – I didn’t show up here just to have some sort of ceremony and have people tell me congratulations,” Scheffler said after the tournament. “I came here with a purpose, got off to a slow start but after that played some really nice golf,” he added.

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Here’s everything we know about the pro golfer who’s making waves in the sport:

World No.1 Scottie Scheffler May Never Attain a Nearly Impossible Tiger  Woods Feat in This Lifetime - EssentiallySports

According to Texas Monthly, Scheffler was just six when he swung his first club at the Royal Oaks Country Club in Dallas. Years later, when he was 14, he qualified for the Texas Amateur tournament. At 17, he joined his hometown’s AT&T Byron Nelson Championship, where he finished 22nd.

Per Bleacher Report, Scottie Scheffler’s career earnings stand at about US$86.2 million, with his recent RBC Heritage title earning him US$3.6 million alone.

Scheffler is a devoted Christian, according to US media. “The reason why I play golf is I’m trying to glorify God and all that He’s done in my life,” he explained at a press conference after winning the Masters. “So for me, my identity isn’t a golf score”.

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Per Golf Monthly, Scheffler has been married to his wife Meredith Scudder since 2020. According to People, they tied the knot in a winter wonderland-themed church ceremony with guests wearing Santa hats and throwing snow at the event. They reportedly both grew up in Texas and met while attending Highland Park High School as teens.

Masters: Even miracle man Tiger Woods was upstaged by unstoppable Scottie  Scheffler | Daily Mail Online

Amusingly, People reports that Scudder knew her beau was good at golf, but only found out just how good he was when she spotted him in a TV advert.

“I won the US Junior in 2013, and in 2014 I had the opportunity to play in the Byron Nelson as a high school student,” Scheffler told media at a tournament last year. “I was at [Meredith’s] house one day, we were hanging out with her dad or something, and the commercial came on TV. And she was kind of looking around. She was like, Wait a minute, isn’t that next weekend? Isn’t that what you’re doing?’”

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When asked how he was feeling about becoming a father, Scheffler told SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio: “It’s going to be pretty wild. I don’t think it’s hit either of us quite yet, maybe sometime when the baby is moving around in her stomach a bunch, but it’s an exciting time for us as a family.”

Scottie Scheffler gave a knowing smile when an inevitable comparison with Tiger Woods was made in the immediate aftermath of his historic Players Championship victory at Sawgrass.

Such is the current dominance enjoyed by the man who became the first to defend the PGA Tour’s flagship title, some are starting to equate him with the 15-time major champion.

Scheffler’s mind went back to Woods’ tournament, the Genesis Invitational at Riviera, last month.

“I think that’s a funny question,” he smiled.

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“I’m not going to remember the exact numbers, but we were playing at ‘Riv’ this year, and I hit my tee ball and this guy yells out, ‘Congrats on being number one Scottie. Eleven more years to go. Eleven more years to go’.”

And, of course, the fan was right. Scheffler is miles away from coming close to the longevity of dominance achieved by Woods in his pomp. But right here, right now, there is an argument to mention the two players in the same breath.

“Any time you can be compared to Tiger is really special, but, I mean, the guy stands alone in our game. He really does,” Scheffler added.

Tiger Woods & Scottie Scheffler's Short Sided Chip Master Class |  TaylorMade Golf Europe - YouTube

“This is my eighth tournament win now out here, I’ve tied him in Players Championships. Outside of that, I have got 14 more majors and 70-some PGA Tour events to catch up.

“So I think I’m going to stick to my routine and just continue to plot along, try and stay as even-keeled as I can.”

That said, we cannot disregard the level of play that Scheffler is achieving at the moment.

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Sunday’s win was his second big title in as many weeks in Florida. The last man to do that double in the Sunshine State was Woods in 2001.

And Scheffler did it in style with an imperious bogey-free final round of 64 to fend off two reigning major champions in Brian Harman and Wyndham Clark.

The Olympic gold medallist Xander Schauffele also tied for second a single shot behind. It was a welcome star-studded leaderboard and just what the beleaguered PGA Tour needed at its flagship championship to showcase its best talent.

Scottie Scheffler wins Hero World Challenge; Tiger Woods finishes 18th -  SCOREGolf

For Scheffler it was the narrowest of wins, but it was champion stuff that was in keeping with the way the tall American dominates so many aspects of the game.

This season he tops the PGA Tour charts in scoring average, birdie average, strokes gained, greens in regulation and approach shots to the putting surfaces.

He does not need to putt the lights out to win. When he does – as he did at Bay Hill the week prior – he wins big. Five shots was the margin of victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

At Sawgrass he was 37th in strokes gained on the greens, which was decent. Indeed, his work with English coach Phil Kenyon and the switch to a mallet-style putter is paying off nicely.

But the rest of his game is what sets him apart. Last week he was number one in strokes gained off the tee, tee to green and in driving accuracy. He has the ball on a rope with such reliable and powerful ball striking.

Statistically he was top 10 around the green and from bunkers – not that he has to rely very often on those departments. And for greens in regulation he tied third in the putting statistics.

Scottie Scheffler is reaching a dominance not seen since Tiger Woods | The  Hill

It is a formidable armoury that is allied to an exemplary mental approach. A painful and niggling neck problem that emerged in the second round of the Players only served to increase his determination to become the first to defend the title.

“That’s probably why I kept playing,” he said of the moment he received treatment five holes into his round on Friday. He still felt he could win and he did not want to spurn the opportunity.

Nevertheless, he needed to make up five shots in the final round, a feat only previously achieved twice at Sawgrass – by Justin Leonard and Henrik Stenson – in Players history.

This is where his unflappable temperament came to the fore. Scheffler is blessed with a real sense of perspective allied to a fierce competitive spirit.

He does not get carried away, which is why his rivals should continue to fear him as the golf year heads towards major season starting with the Masters in April.

“I try not to place too much emphasis on results, good or bad,” he said, refusing to look further than his next PGA Tour stop in Texas later this month.

Tiger Woods Scottie Scheffler comparison is closer than you think -  SBNation.com

“I think you can take some positives in the momentum, but I’m going to go home, get some rest and continue my prep work for Houston.”

This is someone who used to wear the same brand of clothing as Woods out of fandom. He has long since been paid handsomely to do that.

And he is starting to match the 82-time PGA Tour winner in the way he sits at the top of the world rankings.

Admittedly they are somewhat compromised by the absence of points being awarded to LIV events, but the gap between Scheffler and number two Rory McIlroy [4.4 points average] is greater than the margin between the Northern Irishman and Collin Morikawa, who is 18th in the standings.

It is a commanding position. Then again, Woods’ lead over Phil Mickelson was once greater than that between the world number two and anyone else in the standings.

World No.1 Scottie Scheffler May Never Attain a Nearly Impossible Tiger  Woods Feat in This Lifetime - EssentiallySports

So let us not get too carried away. As Scheffler said: “Yeah, we all idolise Tiger. He’s been our guy. Watching what he did in special moments over the years is crazy to watch.”

What we can say, though, is that Scheffler’s Sawgrass exploits over the past two editions, and his current overall statistics, are also of the rarest quality.