Butch Harmon has suggested that Scottie Scheffler has the same ability Tiger Woods had to have complete control over his irons.
Scheffler is arguably the most impressive player the game has had since the end of Woods’ peak.
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The 30-year-old has already won four majors, and is now just a US Open victory away from completing the Career Grand Slam.
Of course, Tiger Woods is more than a once-in-a-generation player. The 50-year-old has staked a claim to be considered the greatest golfer the game has ever seen, with only Jack Nicklaus alongside him for competition.
Butch Harmon says how Scottie Scheffler reminds him of Tiger Woods
Woods seemed to be nearly invincible when he was in full flight on the golf course. He won the first 14 majors in which he had at least a share of the lead after 54 holes.
Scottie Scheffler has not been quite as dominant in 2026. However, the rumblings that reverberate around a golf course when he is making a charge make a similar sound to when Woods would step on the accelerator.
And it would appear that sublime iron play is the common denominator between the pair, as Butch Harmon told The Smylie Show when asked about the similarities.
“Obviously, their swings are totally different. But what they have is this right here, they have the heart. They want to compete and they want to beat you,” he said.
“Tiger wanted to beat your whole family and your neighbourhood. He wasn’t happy winning by one or two. If he was winning by five, he wanted to win by 10. I don’t think you can teach that. He was, I don’t mean this is an ugly way, he was kind of an assassin when it came to a golf tournament, he just wanted to take out everybody.
“Scottie’s game is a lot like Tiger’s, especially his iron game, in the fact that they both control the ball through the air so well. You watch a guy who’s consistent with his approach shots to the green, always pin high, this guy knows what he’s doing. This guy has total control of his ball through the air and on the ground, depending on the firmness of the greens they’re playing. Downwind, into the wind, crosswind, Tiger had that better than anybody I’ve ever seen. And Scottie has that.
“If you watch him, he’s always got his ball about pin high, which means he has complete control over what he’s doing with his iron game.”
The statistic that explains why Scottie Scheffler has only won once this season
What has been so strange about Scheffler’s season is that he has clearly been so close to enjoying another incredible year on the PGA Tour.
He has finished in the top two five times, while he has nine top-five finishes. And yet, he has one victory in a full-field event to show for it.
Scheffler is inside the top 15 in every single major strokes gained category.
But there is another number which highlights just how small the margins are at the very highest level.
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In 2025, Scheffler was first on the PGA Tour for proximity to the hole at 33 feet, 4 inches.
This year, however, Scheffler’s average proximity is 37 feet, nine inches. On paper, it does not appear to be a hugely significant difference.
However, that leaves the world number one down in 91st place on tour in 2026.
The difference is so small that Scheffler would probably not even notice unless he looked into his statistics for the year.
But he has gone from sixth on tour for one-putts in 2025 to 50th this season.
Unfortunately, Scheffler has set such a high standard that there is an inquest launched whenever he goes a few weeks without winning.
One of the only players who knows what that feels like, of course, is Tiger Woods.
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