American golfer Scottie Scheffler went into 2022 without a success on the PGA Tour, but in the space of just three months, he won four tournaments, helping him to shoot up to the top of the world rankings.
Scheffler began his career on the Korn Ferry Tour. He won two trophies in 2019 on the circuit which is described as a feeder for the PGA Tour. The US golfer earnt his tour card for the PGA Tour in 2020, and he has not looked back since.
The highlight of 2022 will be Scheffler’s victory in the US Masters. He won his maiden Major Championship at Augusta. It was a dominant performance in Georgia, as the 26-year-old won by three strokes. He is 12/1 in the golf odds to defend his crown in 2023.
Scheffler has been at the top of his game in the majors in 2022, so he is likely to be popular in the golf predictions for the big events next year. He is 14/1 to prevail in the US PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club in Pittsburgh, New York.
Confidence Has Grown
Confidence is very important in golf, and it was clear after Scheffler won the Phoenix Open back in January (his first PGA Tour success), that it really helped him believe in his game.
Scheffler held his nerve to win a playoff with Patrick Cantlay. The pick of his four rounds in Scottsdale, Arizona, was his 62 on Saturday. It elevated him up the leaderboard and left him in contention on the final day.
Just a month later, Scheffler showed what he was capable of in the Arnold Palmer Championship. In a close four-way tussle in the closing holes at Bay Hill, he prevailed by one shot ahead of Tyrrell Hatton, Billy Horschel and Viktor Hovland.
Scheffler’s first World Golf Championship success came in the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play in March.
He had wins over Ian Poulter, Matt Fitzpatrick, Billy Horschel, Seamus Power and Dustin Johnson, before reaching the final.
The New Jersey-born golfer then took on fellow American compatriot Kevin Kisner for the trophy, coming out on top 4&3.
Durability Was Shown in US Open and Open Championship
In what were very different conditions from earlier in the year, Scheffler also performed well in the US Open and Open Championship in 2022. He finished in a tie for second at the Country Club and a tie for 21st place at St Andrews.
Scheffler began his final round at the US Open in second place. He led the tournament at various points on the Sunday, but a fine round from Fitzpatrick meant he was one shot away from the winner at the end of the 72 holes.
In Scheffler’s first Open Championship at St Andrews, he shot three excellent sub-70 rounds on the Thursday, Friday and Saturday of the tournament. Unfortunately for the world number one, a final round of 74 meant he went in the wrong direction on the last day of the tournament.
The future remains very bright for Scheffler as his next challenge will be to defend his top spot in the world golf rankings.
