Scottie Scheffler has overtaken Tiger Woods to become the all-time top earner in PGA Tour history after clinching his second FedExCup title. The 30-year-old's career earnings of $130m (£96m) have surpassed Woods' $121m (£89m) mark, a record that stood for more than two decades.
Scheffler's rise to the top
Scheffler's success has been built on an extraordinary period of consistency, including four major victories, a series of lucrative Signature Event wins and more than four years at the top of the world rankings.
However, the Texan has been quick to point out that surpassing Woods financially is largely a reflection of the huge increase in prize money over the past two decades. Speaking ahead of this month's Tour Championship, the world No. 1 highlighted the impact Woods himself had on the growth of the sport and the size of its purses.
"The reason our purses are so large today is because of the influence and impact that Tiger had on the game," Scheffler said. "I wouldn't really consider that a Tiger record being broken. I think it just shows one of the many effects he had on the game of golf in a positive way."
Comparisons with Woods' legacy
Scheffler has nevertheless been equally clear that overtaking Woods on the money list does not mean he is anywhere near matching the 15-time major champion's achievements on the course.
"Any time you can be compared to Tiger Woods, it's very special," Scheffler said in 2024. "But I mean, the guy won 82 Tour events and 15 majors. I think Tiger stands alone in his own world in the game of golf."
Speaking last week, he pointed out: "I'm not really too close to him in terms of career wins, so... What, am I like a fourth of the way there? Something like that."
The gap in victories
That assessment is difficult to dispute. Scheffler has 32 professional victories, including 22 on the PGA Tour, compared with Woods' 148 worldwide wins and 82 PGA Tour titles.
The gap is even more pronounced when it comes to the majors. Scheffler has won four, while Woods claimed 15, including four Masters titles, four PGA Championships, three US Opens and three Open Championships. Woods also completed the career Grand Slam by winning all four majors, something Scheffler has yet to achieve.
The earnings table therefore tells only part of the story. Scheffler may have surpassed Woods financially, but he remains some distance behind the 15-time major champion when it comes to the achievements that define a golfer's legacy.
At 30, though, Scheffler still has plenty of time to close that gap - and his extraordinary consistency over the past few seasons means it would be unwise to rule out him adding considerably more to his trophy cabinet.
