Most years, winning the Masters would be the most exciting thing to happen to a golfer. It’s the PGA Tour’s most famous event and comes with a green jacket full of history and tradition. Scottie Scheffler won this year’s Masters, which was, at best, the fourth or fifth most interesting moment of his season.
He also earned an Olympic gold medal with Team USA. He became a father for the first time. He got arrested during the PGA Championship for a strange driving situation in a parking lot, though the charges were eventually dropped after being classified as “a big misunderstanding.”
And, of course, he just won the FedEx Cup, which adds an extra $25 million to an already lucrative year. Scheffler’s season earnings from tournaments and bonuses are nearly $62.3 million.
Tracy Wilcox/PGA TOUR via Getty Images
He won eight events this season, the most since Tiger Woods did so in 2006. Scheffler also won seven PGA Tour titles; no golfer has done that since Woods in 2007.
The FedEx Cup is a season-long event, so players need to be consistently good to have a shot at winning it. Scheffler, the No. 1 ranked golfer in the sport, was also the top golfer the prior two seasons. He ultimately lost leads in the final round, falling short of the FedEx Cup.
He made it seem easy this time, just like he has for much of the season. In addition to the Masters and TOUR Championship, Scheffler also won the Travelers Championship, the Memorial Tournament, RBC Heritage, THE PLAYERS Championship, and the Arnold Palmer Invitational. In four of those wins, he led the second-place golfer by at least three shots.
Here’s a wild stat to drive home Scheffler’s dominance. If he entered this year having won zero dollars in any events, his earnings for the season would put him in eighth place on the career earnings list among PGA Tour golfers.
Yes, winning the Masters is a wonderful accomplishment. But with the season Scheffler’s had, it’s merely one of many impressive achievements.