There’s a new world number 1 in men’s golf. With his third win in the last six weeks, 25 year old Scottie Scheffler claimed the top spot following his win at the Dell Technologies Match Play Championship this weekend.
Scheffler bested Kevin Kisner on the 15th hole at the Austin Country Club to seal his third victory in the last month and a half on tour. As a resident of Dallas, Texas, who also attended the University of Texas on a golf scholarship, the win was a bit of a homecoming for the 2020 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year.
At 25 years, 9 months old, Scheffler is the 6th youngest player in PGA Tour history to claim the number 1 world ranking. Buoyed by wins at the Bay Hill Invitational as well as a victory in a playoff at the Phoenix Open, the youngster is arguably the hottest golfer in the world at the moment.
Originally born in Ridgewood, NJ, Scheffler moved to Dallas at a young age and dominated the local amateur circuit before heading to UT. While in college, the 6’3” righty helped the Longhorns win three Big12 championships, while earning the Phil Mickelson Freshman of the Year award in 2015.
Scheffler would find success at every level he played on his way to the PGA Tour. He finished as the low amateur in the 2017 US Open, and earned two victories on the Korn Ferry Tour en route to being named the Player of the Year in 2019. As a result, he earned a fully exempt PGA Tour card for 2020 and hasn’t looked back since.
He’ll take home $2.1M as the champion, with Kisner pocketing a cool $1.32M as the runner up. The new world number 1 will now turn his attention to the Masters which takes place April 7-10th.
Scheffler’s best finish at Augusta was a tie for 18th in 2021. His best finish at a major came in 2020 at the PGA Championship where he finished in a tie for 4th.