Scottie Scheffler’s 2025 dominance has put him in the conversation with some of the greatest players to ever swing a club.
He won two majors and six PGA Tour events this year, and now Scottie Scheffler is only a U.S. Open away from winning the career grand slam next year at Shinnecock Hills. That would place him firmly in the pantheon of golf’s all-time greats.
No one has come close to Scheffler’s level this season. That has led to comparisons with the greatest of all time, Tiger Woods, who was the last player to enjoy this level of dominance over a single season.
But while he produces similar results to Woods, Scheffler’s temperament is unrecognisable in comparison. That is why golf journalist Jamie Diaz thinks there is a more apt comparison for the world number one.
Scottie Scheffler is more similar to Jack Nicklaus than Tiger Woods, says Jamie Diaz
Scheffler has dismissed the Woods comparisons whenever they are put to him, which is frequently. He takes every opportunity to recognise the greatness of Woods, who he thinks remains a level above him.
Woods’ temperament was in tune with that of Michael Jordan. He was relentlessly determined and singularly focused, bringing a level of intensity to the course that legends of the game would buckle to.
That’s not Scheffler. Prior to The Open Championship, he famously asked, “What’s the point?” in winning golf tournaments. Scheffler’s work-life balance is something unseen among the greatest athletes of all time.
That’s what makes him more comparable to the legendary Jack Nicklaus, according to Jamie Diaz. He said on 5 Clubs, “If Tiger won a major, he’d be practising on Monday.
“That insatiable drive, Scottie may not have to that extent, but Jack didn’t have it either to that extent. He knew how to compartmentalise, so when the bell rang, he was ready.
“I think Scottie is really great at being ready to go, with the family life, and his life away from the course, actually enhancing his ability to be ready. Because he’s rested, he’s joyful, and he’s satisfied. He’s content with his life, and now I go give everything to golf.”
Nicklaus has the most major championship wins ever with 18. He is one of only six players in history to have achieved the career grand slam, along with Woods and Rory McIlroy. Scheffler could soon join that list.
But while Nicklaus was an intense competitor, he brought joy to the golf course and to the fans. There was an off switch to his intensity that wasn’t present for Woods, and Scheffler is cut from the same cloth.
Collin Morikawa told by major winner to find a better work-life balance
While Scheffler has seemingly mastered the delicate balance between his family life and competing at the highest level, he isn’t the only player looking to find it. Two-time major winner Collin Morikawa said to the PGA Tour that he was advised to find joy outside of golf.
He revealed what 2012 U.S. Open winner Webb Simpson once told him: “Find a balance in life. When you’re on the golf course, that’s what you’re doing. But when you’re away, learn how to balance life and enjoy life as much as you can, and find some hobbies.
“Golf is what we do, and it’s a lot to us, but there’s so much more in life that you have to enjoy. We’re very lucky that we do what we get to do.”
It’s been a difficult 2025 for Morikawa, who still made Keegan Bradley’s Ryder Cup team. He hasn’t won on the PGA Tour since 2023.
Morikawa wants to re-find his form badly, especially in front of a raucous New York crowd at Bethpage Black. Perhaps the secret to that is finding joy away from the golf course to take some pressure off of his golf swing.