This essay has to start with two disclosures: We can never get over how much fun our media center brethren and coworkers are having gallivanting around Scottish links courses in July, and no matter how hard we try, we can not get excited about the 3M Open. We are grateful for your understanding, but in its place, we have chosen to record and make public a discussion that started on Sunday at the conclusion of the Open Championship.
Hugh Kellenberger: Let us get things going. The men’s golf player of the year competition is now between Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele rather than just Scheffler. With his thrilling victory in the Open Championship, the latter ignited a discourse, rising from “best player to never win a major” to “a guy who can win half of the majors in a given year.” But I’m curious, Gabby, is performance in the majors the only data point that matters in this race, at least to you?
Gabby Herzig: This is a difficult one because, while I firmly believe that a person’s major defines their career, do majors also determine a particular season? Scheffler’s dominance over the entire season is difficult to dispute, despite the fact that Schauffele excelled in two crucial weeks. The Players, the Masters, four PGA Tour marquee events—one of which came just a week after his dominant triumph at Augusta—and the playoffs are still to be evaluated are among Scheffler’s six victories (as opposed to Schauffele’s two). Here, a plethora of data points need to be considered; wins outside of major tournaments, consistency, and statistics on strokes gained are just a few examples. Schauffele’s two significant seasons should
Hugh: It is said that the four major championships are the most important events, and while this is true over the course of a career, there is some variation from year to year. Just because we have determined that one is a major and the other is not, does that mean Schauffele’s victory at Valhalla in 2024 is inherently more remarkable than Scheffler’s victory at TPC Sawgrass? No, I do not believe that. In practically every other aspect, including field quality, they are about equal. That closes the gap in this POY discussion if you assume that each of the five major events of the year won two. And that is prior to what follows: Each will attend the Olympics as well as the
Champion Golfer of the Year. pic.twitter.com/Ea025M6WL6
— Gabby Herzig (@GabbyHerzig) July 21, 2024
Gabby: This is why things could become interesting. Unless Scheffler or Schauffele wins two or even three more times, I do not think any of the events that are still scheduled for the 2024 season will significantly change the outcome of the discussion. So why not just consult the figures? In terms of strokes gained overall, Scheffler continues to dominate the PGA Tour by a considerable margin. This statistic is solely dependent on his performance in comparison to the field week to week. No preference for one tournament over another. Just information. Schauffele has an average stroke gain of 2.201 whereas Scheffler has 2.760. Rory McIlroy is next on the list, coming in at 1.896. Although Schauffele is closing the gap with Scheffler, he said as much after winning the PGA: “All of us are
Hugh: Yes, and it is the same group who selected Scheffler a year ago despite his lack of a major victory and Patrick Cantlay in 2021 despite his lack of a major victory. What is meant by that? I believe Scheffler has accomplished a triple crown, but my main point of contention is that Schauffele is deserving of his bouquet. I will let you choose, Gabby, and then I have a question for you: When Keegan Bradley chooses Webb Simpson as his vice captain on Tuesday, who will he pick next?
Gabby: Hugh, I agree with you. They will probably choose Scheffler. Not Player of the Majors, but Player of the Year goes to this guy. However, Schauffele is deserving of all the accolades for his achievements at Valhalla and Royal Troon. After overcoming the major-winning slump, he swiftly became one of the elite players currently playing who own two majors, along with Scheffler, Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa, Bryson DeChambeau, Justin Thomas, and Dustin Johnson. Maybe his speed in eliminating the first two will make him the most likely to reach the third one first?
Now for my deputy captain prediction for the Ryder Cup. Simpson, a three-time member of the U.S. squad, was chosen by Bradley as his first appointee on Tuesday. The selection is in line with Bradley’s stated intentions from when he was originally named captain: His goal is to have younger voices on his team that are out there, engaging with potential members on a weekly basis and developing relationships. I have a suspicion that Rickie Fowler will be the next vice captain, therefore I doubt we will find out for a while. I was informed that Fowler’s name was brought up when discussing potential candidates for the position of captain going forward while covering Bradley’s selection process. If Fowler does not improve his performance significantly (which he
Hugh: Vice captain Rickie Fowler, who is in charge of the vibes and places a secondary focus on staying hydrated. That makes sense to me.
(Photos: Patrick Smith, Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)
