Although the Ryder Cup is still a year away, the rivalry between the old and new worlds of golf remains resolute. Just as John McDermott and other golfers of his era needed to prove that golf is not just a game for the gents of the British Isles, today we see the likes of Scottie Scheffler contradicting that notion with their brilliant play.

Rory McIlroy has, for whatever reason, become the frontman for the traditional establishment that golf is linked to. Maybe it’s because he grew up playing links golf or spoke out against LIV Golf – a tournament born from the Americanization of sports. But, as the best-ranked European player on the OWGR (sorry Jon Rahm), he becomes the measuring stick to compare the best from the two continents.

How does Rory McIlroy compare to Scottie Scheffler?

Scottie Scheffler is the World No. 1 on the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) while Rory McIlroy is ranked 3rd. However, McIlroy held that position before. Scheffler also has him beat on strokes gained with 3.28, which is a big gap between him and second-place Xander Schauffele. McIlroy stands 4th with 2.35.

It’s not for nothing that Scottie Scheffler has ranked World No. 1 this season. He has outplayed and been the most consistent player on the PGA Tour. He has played 19 events and won 7 of them, a Tiger Woods-level achievement – the most of any player this year. Rory McIlroy has won 2, missing several wins in the closing moments of his rounds. McIlroy also missed a cut this year, while Scheffler didn’t. Scheffler also came runner-up twice, compared to McIlroy’s one. Scheffler has more top-ten and top-twenty-five finishes this year, with 16 and 17, compared to McIlroy’s 7 and 15.

The only player who has come close to Scheffler this year was Xander Schauffele. He played 21 events and won two majors. Scheffler, however, won The Masters and the Olympic gold medal, along with five more PGA Tour events. But the question remains, what do Scottie Scheffler’s numbers tell us?

Scottie Scheffler’s incredible statistics

Scottie Scheffler wins. He is a leg-shuffling, scoring machine. He ranks first in many of the most important statistics on the Tour. These include a Scoring Average of 68.645, which is insane, and a Birdie Average of 4.88, meaning he scores nearly 5 birdies per round – a surefire way to get on top of the leaderboard. He is also first in SG Approaching the Green and Greens in Regulation, a mind-boggling 73.16%.

His only weakness, if it can be called that, is his putting. He ranks 70th in SG Putting. But when he’s so good with his approach and short game, putting is really just a way to finish the hole for him. He is also not great with his driving distance – Rory McIlroy beats him in that – but he’s one of the best, if not the best, in driving accuracy, distance from the fairway, and SG Off the Tee.

So, that’s Scottie Scheffler for you, the weirdest man his wife has ever met. In the upcoming Presidents Cup, we will see him play against the best in the world, barring Europe. He could go undefeated and will be a big factor in the tournament.