Every time Scottie Scheffler accomplishes a new feat in the world of golf, it seems to come with a repetitive addendum: “first player to do so since Tiger Woods.” The No. 1 golfer on this planet has no true peers right now, and when a player reaches that position, the natural inclination is to shift the conversation to where they stand in comparison to the all-time greats.
Scheffler regularly distances himself from those comparisons, understanding that the longevity and success Woods achieved make it impossible for Scheffler, just 29 years old, to stand alongside him at this point in his young career.
While that conversation cannot truly be had for another decade, as the 2025 Ryder Cup gets set to begin at Bethpage Black, Scheffler has a chance to begin separating himself from Woods in the one event Tiger did not routinely dominate.
Woods represented the United States as a player on eight Ryder Cup teams, entering the event as the top-ranked American in the world on seven of them with 2018 serving as the lone exception. However, Tiger hoisted the Ryder Cup just once in eight tries. He was an unsurprising buzzsaw in Sunday singles (4-2-2) but never could figure out the formula in foursomes and four-ball.
Woods went 9-19-1 in his career across those formats (4-9-1 in foursomes, 5-10-0 in four-ball) despite being the best player on the planet for the majority of those years. While some of that was questionable pairings, Tiger never figured out how to align the singular focus of his game — that made him the greatest player the PGA Tour’s ever seen — with the give-and-take that team golf requires.
Among the seven partners he played alongside more than once, Davis Love III (2-1) was the only man with whom he achieved a winning record, both victories coming in 2002.
Scheffler, meanwhile, enters the 2025 Ryder Cup with a 2-2-3 overall record. He was a breakout star in 2021 at Whistling Straits, going 2-0-1 to help the United States win on home soil in a performance that many point to as the catalyst for his ascent to the top of the sport. However, in Italy two years ago, when he was the unquestioned top player on the United States’ squad, he failed to win a match, going 0-2-2 in four outings.
The 2025 event will be particularly significant for Scheffler’s legacy as a Ryder Cup player. The stage at Bethpage Black will be unlike anything the game’s seen, and no one will spend more time in that spotlight than Scheffler. He is the unquestioned star and best player on an American team that has been desperate to find a true leader on the course.
Much has been made about the European team’s ability to find players who step up and thrive in the Ryder Cup atmosphere. Since 1979, the top six points winners in Ryder Cup play are all Europeans. Among players with numerous Ryder Cup appearances, most of the top performers in the past two decades are from the European side.
Sergio Garcia (25-13-7), Ian Poulter (15-8-2), Justin Rose (14-9-3) and Luke Donald (10-4-1) are the gold standard of continued Ryder Cup excellence this century, but Europe has found seamless replacements every time one has departed the team. Rory McIlroy (16-13-4) has taken over the position of Europe’s best player, fully emerging into the leadership role with a stellar performance in Rome. Tommy Fleetwood (7-3-2) and Jon Rahm (6-3-3) immediately became thorns in the side of the Americans after joining the team.
The United States, meanwhile, struggles to find those stalwarts that can be trusted every two years to earn their way on the team. Where Europe’s strength has been its continuity — it will bring back 11 of 12 players from Rome, all easy selections off points — the U.S. has seen a signiicant turnover after a number of players long expected to be part of the team have fallen to the wayside.
LIV Golf stars Dustin Johnson (12-9-0), Brooks Koepka (7-6-2) and Patrick Reed (7-3-2) boast three of the best records from this current era, but it’s not clear if any of them will get back into the conversation for a selection again. Jordan Spieth (8-9-5) was once seen as the future of the U.S. squad, buthe struggled as a captain’s pick in Rome and was not even on the radar for Bethpage.
The best records on this year’s team are Justin Thomas (7-4-2) and Patrick Cantlay (5-2-1), but they each required a captain’s pick to join the Americans — Cantlay’s selection questioned given his performance this season.
Scheffler, Bryson DeChambeau and Xander Schauffele are the only three automatic qualifiers for the U.S. with two or more Ryder Cups to their name.
That churn and uncertainty makes it even more important for those top players to perform well. They must serve as buoys to keep the Americans afloat when other pieces are changing in and out, and Scheffler is the most important of them all.
Barring an early retirement, he will participate in the next five Ryder Cups and likely enter as the top-ranked American on most — if not all — occasions. That title carries significant weight as team golf is not as easy as just putting talent together. No one knows that better than the United States, which saw Woods and Phil Mickelson lose both of matches when partnered up as the world’s two best players.
There’s reason to believe Scheffler can be what Woods could not. For all the comparisons made about their games, Scheffler differs greatly as a personality. He is more affable and closer with more players on both the PGA Tour and U.S. team room, which should make it easier to pair him with partners and find success.
A more approachable, engaged top star might benefit the U.S. side and help foster a better culture in a team room that has often felt more like a collection of individuals than a cohesive unit.
The Americans need Scheffler to be a dominant force in Ryder Cup play for two key reasons. (1) The entire goal of the competition is to put points on the board. The U.S. side needs someone they can rely on to do that consistently, and no one seems more capable than Scheffler. (2) There is a psychological desperation for someone on the team to have mystique and gravitas. A player the European side genuinely worries about playing. That’s vital, especially when it is the man who dominates week to week on the PGA Tour.
The flip side? Nothing would be better in terms of fostering belief for the European side than taking down the world No. 1.
Woods being a mediocre Ryder Cup player did not only result in fewer points for the Americans but increased confidence for the Europeans. Every point scored against Tiger felt like Europe was taking something away from the United States, and their pride soared from not just winning Ryder Cups but doing so against a team that featured the best player in the world.
Scheffler is now that player, and while a 2-2-3 record is solid, the U.S. side needs more from him. Winning at Bethpage Black is a must for the Americans, and Scheffler needs to be the man to set the tone.
If not, the Europeans will only be boosted into believing they can pull off the first road upset in the Ryder Cup since 2012 at Medinah. (Europe enters as a meager +150 underdog considering the United States is hosting, per DraftKings.)
However, if Scheffler can put points on the board early, the New York crowd will only grow louder as the foundation will be laid for him to become a long-sought Ryder Cup legend for the United States.