Scottie Scheffler three-peats as PGA Tour player of the year by a landslide 91 percent vote

Scottie Scheffler is headed into Tiger Woods territory.

Just don’t expect him to agree.

Scheffler, the world’s No. 1 player on the World Golf Rankings, was overwhelmingly voted a third consecutive PGA Tour Player of the Year Award by his peers in recognition of a season that included seven official victories, highlighted by the FedEx Cup, the Masters, his second Players Championship in a row and an Olympic Gold Medal.

Scheffler is the first player since Woods (2005-2007) to win the award three years in a row. Woods won five in succession from 1999-2003.

Rory McIlroy is the only other player to have won the Jack Nicklaus Award three times in all (2012, 2014 and 2019) since its inception in 1990.

Scottie Scheffler dismisses Tiger comparisons

Scheffler didn’t win on Tour until his 72nd start in 2022. He has since won 13 times in 60 starts, with two Masters and two Players Championships.

Despite that Woods-like run, Scheffler as usual is the first one to put the brakes on those comparisons.

“I think they’re a bit silly,” Scheffler said during a teleconference on Tuesday night. “I think we’re always looking to compare somebody to Tiger Woods. I saw it a lot growing up. There’s really only one Tiger. I’m trying to get the best out of myself and that’s really all I’m focused on. I’m not chasing records or chasing history. I’m just trying to, day-in and day-out, continue to improve a little bit, just go out there and compete, have fun.”

Scheffler was asked what was the hardest part about winning. His answer was simple.

“Probably golf,” he said.

But he said the three-year ride has been a blast.

“Winning is a ton of fun and losing isn’t that great a feeling,” he said. “I’m not thinking about too much else other than but trying to focus on what I can control.  Part of the joy in golf for me is I think you’re always trying to figure little things out … trying to get better and better. There’s always something to be working on.”

Scottie Scheffler won 91 percent of the votes

Scheffler is the ninth player to win the FedEx Cup and then be voted Player of the Year since the season-long points race began in 2007. The Tour said Scheffler was voted by 91 percent of the responding players.

Two-time major winner Xander Schauffele and McIlroy were also nominated.

He is the first to win The Players, a major and the FedEx Cup in the same season. He also won the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the RBC Heritage, the Memorial and the Travelers Championship. Scheffler led the Tour with 16 top-10 finishes and did not miss a cut in 10 starts. He earned a record of more than $29 million.

Scheffler has now been the No. 1-ranked player for 82 consecutive weeks.

He won his Gold Medal in the Paris Games in his first Olympic start and went 3-2 to help the U.S. win the Presidents Cup in Montreal.

Scheffler also won the Byron Nelson Award for the lowest scoring average at 68.65, his second in a row.

Scheffler appreciative of his fellow players

Scheffler said the award has significant impact to him because his fellow players decide.

“I’m very grateful to get the award from my peers,” he said. “The players kind of know the body of work.”

Scheffler said he first realized how his fellow players felt about him before he was named a captain’s pick for the 2021 Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits. Scheffler went 2-0-1 and dusted off Jon Rahm 4 and 3 in singles, which he said was a turning point for him in realizing he was good enough to be a Tour winner.

“I had come close to winning some tournaments and I thought the Ryder Cup was a huge, huge time in my career,” he said of a 2020-21 season in which he had eight top-10s and tied for 18th at the Masters, was solo eighth at the PGA and tied for seventh at the U.S. Open. “Getting selected to that team and getting the call from Captain [Steve] Stricker … a lot of the guys from the team were reaching out, telling me how badly they wanted me to be a part of the team. To get that vote of confidence from a lot of guys that I looked up to for a long time was pretty special.

“To perform well under the most pressure that I felt in my career, I think really helped me going into the next season, knowing what it’s like to be in the heat of the moment, under the most pressure.”

Scheffler won his first PGA Tour title in a playoff at the WM Phoenix Open and won four times in six starts, including the Masters.

Scheffler surprised during charity event

Scheffler was surprised with the award during a FedEx charity event on Tuesday at the PGA Tour Superstore in Plano, Texas, near his Dallas home.

Scheffler and his wife, Meredith, joined FedEx to help students from the charity, Behind Every Door, shop for holiday presents with PGA Tour Superstore gift cards.

“On behalf of the PGA TOUR, congratulations to Scottie Scheffler on a truly historic season capped off with his first  FedEx Cup title and today a third consecutive Jack Nicklaus Award as PGA TOUR Player of the Year,” said PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said in a statement.

“Scottie took on challenges from the best players in the world on the biggest stages all season, and being honored as PGA Tour Player of the Year is the ultimate sign of respect from his peers.”

Scheffler cruised to a victory last week

After being idle since the Tour Championship, Scheffler won last week’s Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas by six shots.

Scheffler has more to accomplish. His only two major have been at the Masters, and has had close calls in the U.S. Open, British Open and PGA.

He can also tie Jack Nicklaus for the most Players Championships if he wins a third March 13-16 at the Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass.

But Scheffler said his only immediate goal is his first tee shot on Jan. 2 at The Sentry in Kapaula, Hawaii, the first PGA Tour event of the season.

“What I’m really focused on now is getting ready for Kapaula,” he said. “That’s the first tournament of the year. I’d be nice to get the year off to a good start. But I’m not going to stand on the first tee and say I’ve got to win this golf tournament. I’m going to step up there and figure out what’s the best club to put myself in the best position to hit my second shot onto that green.

“I’m not thinking about anything else other than the shot at hand. I try to live my life that way. I don’t set long-term goals.”

That approach has won 13 so far. So it must be working.

This story was updated to add photos, quotes and information.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Scottie Scheffler wins a third Nicklaus Award as PGA Tour Player of the Year