Scottie Scheffler suggests the reason he thinks Tiger Woods was so difficult to partner at the Ryder Cup

Tiger Woods’ Ryder Cup record is one of the great mysteries in golf.

How is it that the greatest player to grace the sport can lose seven of the eight Ryder Cups he was a part of? It’s not like he performed exceptionally and was let down. Woods has a 13-21-3 Ryder Cup record individually.

Woods’ poor Ryder Cup form could worry the Americans heading into the 2025 tournament. Their hopes rest heavily at the feet of world number one Scottie Scheffler, who dominated the season on his way to two major championships.

But Scheffler reassured fans that he is different and won’t suffer the same fate as Woods.

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Scottie Scheffler says Tiger Woods’ Ryder Cup partners struggled with his ‘aura’

Woods’ Ryder Cup failings came mainly in team events. He actually has a winning 4-2-2 record in Sunday singles, which is a testament to his ability under pressure. However, in foursomes and fourball, his record was 9-19-1.

Pairing with Woods was a mammoth task. As if the pressure of playing in a Ryder Cup wasn’t enough, suddenly, players were thrust into the spotlight and expected to win. Woods could handle the weight of expectation, but not everyone could.

Scheffler wondered whether the “aura” of Woods during his dominance was too much for his partners.

Speaking to reporters before the Ryder Cup, he said, “I think some of the difficulty you had with playing with Tiger – I mean, I don’t even know what it could be.

“It could just be the aura that was Tiger Woods. There was some times there when he was doing nothing but winning golf tournaments and just beating the absolute c–p out of people time and time again.”

Scheffler has been compared to Woods after his 2025 dominance, and worries about him suffering the same fate as the golfing icon have surfaced before the Ryder Cup. But Scheffler thinks that this American team is different, and so is he.

Scottie Scheffler explains why he is easier to partner with than Tiger Woods

Scheffler’s demeanour isn’t similar to Woods. He navigates the course with calm composure, barely allowing a fist pump or smirk to creep into even the biggest moments of major tournaments.

In that sense, he doesn’t carry the same intimidation factor that Woods did. Scheffler said that’s what makes him easy to partner with at Ryder Cups.

He explained, “Yeah, I think on our team, I think we have 12 guys that are all equal. I don’t think one player is more important than another. I think that is something that is through our team room.

“I’d like to think that I’m not difficult to pair with people. I’d like to think of myself as someone that’s a nice guy and easy to get along with. I’ve had different partners over the years and have had some success. I would definitely not put myself in that category.

“I couldn’t tell you what was difficult for those partners because I wasn’t there. For me, I’d like to think I’m an easy guy to pair with.”

Scheffler suffered a record-breaking loss in 2023 to Ludvig Aberg and Viktor Hovland, playing alongside Brooks Koepka. However, his overall record is solid. Scheffler is 2-2-3 in the two Ryder Cups he has competed in.

He has also demonstrated the ability to pair with different types of players and various golf brands. Scheffler paired with Bryson DeChambeau in 2021, and he worked well with Russell Henley in 2024 at the Presidents Cup.

That’s further evidence that he may avoid Woods’ fate when teeing off at Bethpage Black.