Scottie Scheffler said he “almost lived his whole life this year” after securing victory at the FedExCup, capping a “crazy” season – both on and off the golf course – for the world No. 1.

Scheffler finished the season-ending Tour Championship with a four-stroke lead, holding the lead at any point over the four days and becoming the first player since Tiger Woods in 2007 to record seven or more wins in a year on the PGA Tour.

This concludes a remarkable few months for Scheffler, who became a father for the first time shortly after winning the Masters for the second time in three years, was arrested in May before his second round of the PGA Championship and also won Olympic gold in Paris.

“If you can put it into words, all the better, because I don’t think I can,” Scheffler told reporters as he reflected on his 2024 efforts after his Tour Championship victory. “It’s been a long year.”

“I think I’m pretty drained emotionally right now. It’s been a very eventful year, but it’s been really fun. There was that one weird moment in Valhalla (the arrest at the PGA Championship), but everything else has been pretty special.”

Scheffler has led the FedExCup standings since winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March and added victories at The Players, The Masters, RBC Heritage, Memorial Tournament and Travelers Championship during the regular season.

The 28-year-old American earned an $8 million bonus for topping the Comcast Business Tour Top 10 ahead of the FedExCup Playoffs, where he pocketed $25 million for winning the Tour Championship, taking his season earnings – including bonuses – to an incredible $62,228,357 (£47.4 million).

“I felt like I was starting to get somewhere,” Scheffler said. “I had some good starts to the year. I had a couple of top-10 finishes early on and was close to winning in Phoenix. Then I played really solid overall, so I knew I was close.”

“I made a few putts this year when I really needed to, and that’s why I’m here with a lot of wins instead of just a few. Last year I played good golf and wasn’t able to make the crucial putts at the right time, but this year I did. That’s really the difference.

“I’m proud of the results. I try not to focus too much on it, but at the end of the day, it’s a great feeling to be able to win tournaments. That’s what we’re working towards. And the fact that I’ve been able to get so many wins this year is really special.”

Scheffler added, “I feel like I’ve lived almost my whole life in that one year. It’s been crazy. I think it always comes back to my faith. I think that’s what keeps me grounded and gives me the right frame of mind.”

How Scheffler keeps the focus

Scheffler entered the Tour Championship with a two-stroke lead and was seven shots ahead early in the final round before recovering from a two-stroke lead by shooting five under par over his next six holes to regain control of the tournament.

“Nothing fazes him,” said Collin Morikawa, who played alongside Scheffler for the final three rounds at East Lake. “Whether I was close to making up ground or he was, it didn’t change the way he walked, the way he played or the way he executed each shot.”

“I think his mental game is a lot stronger than a lot of people realize. It’s incredible what he’s done this whole season and honestly the last three years. It’s been really cool to watch him.”

Scheffler previously blew a six-stroke lead over McIlroy on the final day of the 2022 Tour Championship, but his latest win marks the third consecutive event and eighth time in 14 attempts on the PGA Tour in which he has converted a 54-hole lead into a win.

“Just think about how well he plays when he’s the guy to beat every week,” said former FedExCup champion Justin Thomas. “I don’t think people understand how hard that is.”

“When you’re expected to win, when you’re the favorite, when everything you do on the golf course is being watched – good or bad – and when it’s hard to get into your own little zone and your own little world and really just quiet the noise.

“It takes as much skill as hitting a driver down the fairway or hitting an iron online. He’s obviously done a great job of that. Scottie just wants to play as well as he can and win as many tournaments as he can, and he’s doing a pretty good job of that.”

Consistency is the key for Scheffler?

Scheffler has been the best player in the world from tee to green. His 2023 total is the best since Woods in 2006, and last season he averaged 2,456 strokes in that regard, which was almost one stroke more than any other player on the PGA Tour.

Only inconsistency on the greens prevented him from being more successful in the second half of 2023 and early this year, before switching to a mallet putter in March helped add another element to Scheffler’s game.

“It seems like he’s doing basically the same thing he did last year, except he’s probably putting a little more consistently,” said former FedExCup champion Viktor Hovland. “If you’re hitting as well as he is every week and then making some putts, you’re going to be tough to beat.”

The putter change was originally suggested at the beginning of the season by Rory McIlroy, the four-time major winner impressed by Scheffler’s low scores and his ability to limit errors.

“What I’ve always admired about Scottie is the number of bogey-free rounds,” McIlroy said. “You only have to look at the last two or three years and see how many rounds he’s played four under par and no bogeys.”

“It doesn’t look spectacular, but it’s just so solid. He doesn’t really put himself out of position. If you don’t make a lot of bogeys, the field has to do something really special to keep up.”

A Tiger-like season from Scheffler?

Scheffler has downplayed comparisons to Woods on several occasions this season, but his sustained brilliance has produced numbers and a level of consistency not seen since the 15-time major champion’s heyday.

Asked if Scheffler’s performance in 2024 was the best since Woods, former world number one Adam Scott said: “I think that’s fair. I think all the statistics back that up. I think the results back that up. It was pretty incredible.”

“I think it’s comparable to Tiger’s great years. It’s very difficult for anyone today to stand out as much as Scottie. I don’t think we’ve seen that in a long time.”

Scheffler’s FedExCup success came after he entered the Tour Championship as the leader for the third consecutive year; his 13 PGA Tour victories to date have come in a span of just over two and a half years.

“I think by the definition of dominance, he is literally where he sits,” said Xander Schauffele, who entered the Tour Championship as his closest challenger for the FedExCup victory after two major wins in 2024.

“Since I’ve been (on the PGA Tour), Dustin (Johnson) has had a run, Brooks (Koepka) has had a run, Jon (Rahm) has had a run, Rory (McIlroy) has had a run. But they’ve kind of bounced around between one, two and three.

“It seems that Scottie has been at the top of the mountain for two full years now.”

Woods’ dominance lasted a generation. Scheffler still has a long way to go if he wants to match those accomplishments, but he is on track to continue his dominance for many seasons to come.

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