Scottie Scheffler is the world No. 1 and reached 20 career PGA Tour wins in 151 starts, the quickest to do so behind only Tiger Woods (95 starts) and Jack Nicklaus (127 starts).
Nicklaus’ 18 majors are the most in golf history, followed by Woods at 15. Scheffler, 29, has four majors to his name so far, but Scheffler could bump that to five on April 12.
The Masters will take place from April 9 to April 12 at Augusta National, and Irish golfer Paul McGinley has high expectations for Scheffler.
“There’s nobody been more dominant in the game in terms of underlying statistics over the last few years, including winning five times a year, than Scottie Scheffler,” said McGinley, Europe’s hero at the 2002 Ryder Cup, while on Sky Sports. “As great as Rory McIlroy is, the sheer consistency and relentlessness of Scottie Scheffler makes him the No. 1 player comfortably in the world.”
McGinley took it one step further: “We have not seen this level of consistent play that Scottie has had in the last, what, three or four years now, since the very height of Tiger Woods at his very best. Nobody has come close to this level of performance.”
McGinley noted that Scheffler’s form hasn’t been his best to start this season, so “he’s not in a comfortable place, but he’s certainly the man to beat.”
Scheffler is the odds-on favorite to win the 2026 Masters.
McIlroy is the reigning Masters champion after completing his career grand slam last April. Scheffler won the Green Jacket in 2022 and 2024. Scheffler also won the Hero World Challenge, co-hosted by Tiger Woods and his TGR Foundation, in 2023 and 2024.
Woods will not participate in the 2026 Masters after he was involved in a two-car crash in Jupiter Island, Florida, last Friday. Woods was not injured, nor was the other driver, but Woods announced that he would be “stepping away for a period of time to seek treatment and focus on my health” on Tuesday.
