Scottie Scheffler wrapped up his 2026 PGA Tour campaign precisely as he began it: hoisting a champion’s trophy. Admittedly, it was unexpected that he only secured a single victory between those bookends—which occurred just under a fortnight back at the St. Jude Championship—yet the global number one proved week after week why he holds that rank as the finest golfer alive.
Even though rivals such as Rory McIlroy, Cameron Young, Matt Fitzpatrick, and Wyndham Clark gave their absolute best efforts to dethrone him, Scheffler held fast to the peak of these Power 18 golf standings all year long. Beyond surpassing Tiger Woods in single-season earnings on the PGA Tour, Scheffler should take immense pride in this achievement! This is hardly the first occurrence (and almost certainly not the final one) of him leading the rankings from start to finish.
However, claiming that this entire year was solely about Scheffler and the countless statistical metrics he dominated—including final victory tallies—would fail to give proper credit to the broader golfing landscape. Indeed, there were players who seemed poised to mount a challenge. The gap separating Scheffler from his closest pursuer shrank at certain junctures, though it arguably widened overall when viewed through the lens of what was considered a relatively quiet stretch for him.
He split the top spot for most victories with Fitzpatrick, Clark, and Chris Gotterup, who completed only his third full season on the PGA Tour. The year also produced surprising major champions in Aaron Rai and Ryan Fox, while Young captured the Players Championship.
Ultimately, Scheffler’s campaign was marked by his relentless consistency—a trait that Ludvig Åberg, Tommy Fleetwood, Sam Burns, Si Woo Kim, Xander Schauffele, and Patrick Cantlay hope to find encouragement in. From the start of January to the end of August, he remained the gold standard. Even during weeks when he did not finish in first place, he remained the focal point of the sport and the undisputed leader of the golfing world.
The Power 18 offers a snapshot of current player form, evaluated through their performances in recent tournaments. It provides a broader perspective than just the outcome of the most recent event, while remaining more focused than the Official World Golf Rankings, which evaluate the multi-tournament performance of over 2,000 players over a full season.
