Calling Scottie Scheffler the best iron player in golf right now isn’t exactly a controversial opinion. Most people would agree he’s been dominant with that part of his game.
It will surprise no one to hear that Scheffler leads the PGA Tour in strokes gained approach this season. The 29-year-old has already picked up six wins this year, including major victories at both the PGA Championship and The Open Championship.
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He also leads the tour in proximity to the hole for 2025, further highlighting just how sharp he’s been from mid-range.
Scheffler has won three of his last five starts on tour, including a victory at the Procore Championship earlier this month, and is currently favourite to win again this week at TPC Southwind.
USA team manager highlights Scottie Scheffler’s most impressive skill
The world number one was one of the players at Napa preparing for the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black, and he made a statement by coming away with the win.
What may be particularly alarming for Luke Donald is Team USA manager John Wood does not believe that Scheffler was at his best at Silverado.
He also pointed out a part of Scheffler’s game that might be even stronger than his iron play.
“He didn’t play as great as he could, he didn’t make a whole lot of putts in the time I saw him in the last couple of days. But he just doesn’t make mistakes, just doesn’t put himself in a bad position where you think he could make double here – I know he did make a double. And it’s so consistent, he’s never in trouble,” Wood explained.
“The thing that maybe impresses me most about Scottie, we all know how good he is in distance control from the fairway, but he gets these lies in the rough that I’m looking at going I don’t know how this is going to come out, and he gets it right every single time. He lands it in the right spot, it releases the right amount, and obviously he hits it great.
“That’s a skill in being able to read those lies and figure out how it’s going to come out, and he does it every single time. He is fun to watch play golf, I know that’s probably the dumbest thing you can possibly say. You’re in awe of the guy.”
Europe hoping Ryder Cup form slows Scheffler again
But before Marco Simone, it was tough to imagine anyone getting the better of him. Scheffler made a strong first impression at Whistling Straits, but things didn’t go as smoothly in the following Presidents Cup and then again in Rome.
The 9&7 defeat to Ludvig Aberg and Viktor Hovland still stands out, especially given that Scheffler and Koepka were involved — two of the most established names in today’s game.
Scheffler did show some improvement at last year’s Presidents Cup. He’ll likely be partnered with Russell Henley again this week.
If he brings his top game to Bethpage Black, stopping him won’t be easy. Europe will be banking on his past Ryder Cup issues resurfacing.
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