Scottie Scheffler hits record only Tiger Woods has ever achieved

Tiger Woods has held the world number one spot for a total of 623 weeks in his career. However, that was split into two periods of dominance, both lasting more than 100 consecutive weeks. The first was from August 15, 1999 to September 4, 2004, and the second was from June 12, 2005 to October 30, 2010.

Meanwhile, for Scottie Scheffler, this week marks a special milestone. The American golfer has officially held the number one spot for 97 weeks, officially surpassing Greg Norman in the record books. The Great White Shark led the OWGR for 96 consecutive weeks, from June 18, 1995 to April 19, 1997, the week after Woods won his first Green Jacket.

Interestingly, if it weren’t for Tom Lehman, who held the No. 1 spot for a week in late April 1997, Greg Norman would have easily surpassed the 100-week mark. Norman then held the No. 1 spot for another seven weeks, before entering another period of dominance, from September 7, 1997 to January 10, 1998. Woods then began his dominance of the OWGR.

Scheffler began his streak as the world’s No. 1 after the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill. He tied for 22nd at the East Course, just two strokes behind champion Brooks Koepka. Scheffler then added seven top-six finishes in 2023, cementing his status as the world’s best golfer heading into 2024.

Scheffler then had a Tiger Woods-like 2024 season, with seven wins on the PGA Tour and an Olympic Gold Medal in Paris in July. He capped off a memorable year by successfully defending his Hero World Challenge title in the Bahamas and entered 2025 as the undisputed No. 1.

Scheffler has yet to win in 2025, but he still holds a comfortable lead at the top of the OWGR. He leads Rory McIlroy by about 100 points, and McIlroy would need to win The Masters and another signature tournament soon after to overtake Scheffler. That’s not impossible, especially given McIlroy’s form over the past two months. Scheffler did the same thing last year.

Wins at Pebble Beach and The Players have helped McIlroy leapfrog Xander Schauffele into second place in the rankings. The Northern Irishman is in better shape than ever as he heads to Augusta National in April.

Regardless, Scheffler has made history by achieving what only Woods has ever achieved. And when your name appears on an exclusive list alongside Woods, you know you’ve achieved something extraordinary.