If you were hoping that Scottie Scheffler spent his 2026 New Year’s resolution list on something like "learn to bake" or "finally start that podcast,"
If you were hoping that Scottie Scheffler spent his 2026 New Year’s resolution list on something like “learn to bake” or “finally start that podcast,” I have some bad news for the rest of the PGA Tour. Based on his performance at The American Express this past weekend, Scottie’s only resolution was apparently “keep doing the thing where everyone else loses.”
In his very first start of 2026, the World No. 1 didn’t just shake off the rust; he treated it like a minor suggestion. Scheffler cruised to a four-shot victory in La Quinta, California, finishing at a staggering 27-under par (261). It was a masterclass in “Scheffler-ing”—a verb that now officially means “playing golf so well it makes 18-year-old phenoms and major champions alike want to take up pickleball.”
To say Scottie is picking up where he left off in 2025 is like saying a hurricane is picking up where the last tropical storm ended. In 2025, Scheffler was a human ATM, winning six times, including the PGA Championship and The Open Championship, while raking in a casual $27.6 million in official earnings.
He ended last season as the first player since Tiger Woods in 2000 to lead the Tour in scoring average across all four rounds. Entering 2026, many wondered if he could possibly maintain that pace. Scottie’s answer was to fire a final-round 6-under 66 at the Pete Dye Stadium Course, briefly stretching his lead to six shots before a meaningless double bogey on the 17th “Alcatraz” hole. Even with a water ball, he still won by four. That’s the golfing equivalent of tripping at the finish line of a marathon and still having time to get a coffee before the second-place runner arrives.
With this win, Scheffler reached 20 career PGA Tour victories at just 29 years old. He is now one of only three players—joining some obscure guys named Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus—to rack up 20 wins and four majors before the age of 30.
1 Scottie Scheffler -27 $1,656,000
T2 Jason Day -23 $489,100
T2 Ryan Gerard -23 $489,100
T2 Matt McCarty -23 $489,100
T2 Andrew Putnam -23 $489,100
Beyond the trophies, Scheffler also became the third golfer in history to surpass $100 million in career earnings, joining Woods and Rory McIlroy. At this rate, the PGA Tour might need to start paying him in small islands or tech startups instead of just oversized checks.
As the Tour moves toward the Phoenix Open, the message to the field is clear: Scottie didn’t change his swing, he didn’t lose his hunger, and he definitely didn’t forget how to make those “insane” putts. It’s a new year, but it’s still very much Scottie’s world; the rest of the guys are just playing for second-place gas money (yeah, you could still buy a lot of gas with that kind of money!)
Radu Roman
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