Players Championship winner Scottie Scheffler may be miles away from the longevity of Tiger Woods' dominance but they can be mentioned in same breath, writes Iain Carter.
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.Scheffler's mind went back to Woods' tournament, the Genesis Invitational at Riviera, last month. "I think that's a funny question," he smiled.
"This is my eighth tournament win now out here, I've tied him in Players Championships. Outside of that, I got 14 more majors and 70-some PGA Tour events to catch up. 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.
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. 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.
"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."
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