Scottie Scheffler spiked his golf cap on the green, barked an expletive in triumph, and yet hardly seemed content with one of the biggest and most hard-fought tournament victories of his career.
“Let’s f—–g go! That’s what I’m talking about!” Scheffler said to caddie Ted Scott after clinching the title at the PGA Championship earlier this month at Quail Hollow in Charlotte.
Scheffler’s reaction was more of a man on a mission — not one satisfied with his latest accomplishment.
What he earned was his third career victory in a major tournament, adding to titles at the Masters in 2022 and 2024. That puts him two majors away from the career Grand Slam, which Rory McIlroy completed in April with his Masters victory.
The career Grand Slam has been accomplished just six times: McIlroy, Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, Ben Hogan and Gene Sarazen.
McIlroy’s win at Augusta means Scheffler can no longer become the first player to win the Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open and Open Championship in a single season. But he can still complete the career Grand Slam before 2025 is complete.
Winning three majors in a single season would be a feat in itself — one not accomplished since Woods claimed the U.S. Open, Open Championship and PGA Championship in 2000. He completed the “Tiger Slam” by winning the 2001 Masters, giving him all four major titles at once.
More steady than the dynamic force Woods once was, Scheffler, 28, still represents the best bet to accomplish such a feat in the coming years.
There was single-season Grand Slam chatter when Scheffler won his second Masters title in 2024. At that point, he had earned nine titles over two seasons, including the Masters and Players Championship twice. He added four more tournament wins in 2024, including the Tour Championship, but placed tied for eighth at the PGA Championship, tied for 41st at the U.S. Open, and tied for seventh at the Open Championship.
This year’s U.S. Open at Oakmont is fast approaching, set for June 12–15. Scheffler’s best U.S. Open finish came in 2022, when he tied for second at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts. He followed that up with a tie for third in 2023 at Los Angeles Country Club.
Now comes an opportunity at Oakmont, just outside Pittsburgh. There is no denying Scheffler’s momentum, with back-to-back victories at the Byron Nelson and the PGA Championship, followed by a fourth-place finish at the Charles Schwab Challenge.
That Scheffler has said he has not been playing his best golf lately — despite delivering six consecutive top-10 finishes — could be a sign that his first U.S. Open title is within reach. Sportsbooks seem to agree, with Scheffler listed as the +350 favorite at DraftKings, ahead of McIlroy (+660), Bryson DeChambeau (+1100), Xander Schauffele (+1200) and Jon Rahm (+1200).
“The first two days I did not swing it my best, and I was able to post a score somehow,” Scheffler said after winning the PGA Championship. “Outside of the last five holes (in Round 3), that’s where I really kind of put myself ahead in the tournament. I mean, the back nine (Sunday) was pretty special as well.”
Scheffler has the uncanny ability to step on the gas when he needs to. If he can figure out the length and intricacies of Oakmont, he’ll be one step closer to a career Grand Slam in a tournament sure to draw eyes worldwide.
The Open Championship, scheduled for July 17–20, will be played on McIlroy’s home turf at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland.
Winning a second and third major in a single year is unlikely. Getting the best of McIlroy in his home country won’t be easy. But Scheffler hasn’t delivered the success he has by focusing on the wall in front of him. His head stays down the entire way.
“When I stepped on the tee on Thursday, I’m not thinking about what’s going to happen on Sunday. I’m preparing for a 72-hole event,” the ever-pragmatic Scheffler said. “That’s what I tell myself on the 1st tee: It’s 72 holes. That’s a lot of time. That’s a lot of holes. That’s a lot of shots.
“I always focus on my preparation, and so when I show up on the first tee, I just tell myself to stay patient, remind myself that I’m prepared for this, and go out and just compete.”
That right there is what Scheffler is truly talking about.
