Scottie Scheffler said he “almost lived a lifetime in this one year” after claiming the FedExCup victory, capping a “crazy” season – both on and off the golf course – for the world No. 1.

Scheffler won by four strokes at the Tour Championship, the final event of the season, holding the top spot for four days. He became the first player since Tiger Woods in 2007 to win seven or more times in a single year on the PGA Tour.

This concludes a remarkable few months for Scheffler, who became a father for the first time shortly after winning The Masters for the second time in three years, was arrested before his second round at the PGA Championship in May and also won Olympic gold in Paris.

“If you can put it into words, that’s a bonus, because I don’t think I can,” Scheffler told reporters as he reflected on his 2024 efforts following his Tour Championship win. “It’s been a long year.

“I think emotionally I’m pretty exhausted right now. It’s been a really eventful year, but it’s also been a lot of fun. You had one weird spot there in Valhalla (the bust of the PGA Championship), but everything else has been pretty special.”

Scheffler has been atop the FedExCup standings since winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March, before adding wins at The Players, The Masters, RBC Heritage, Memorial Tournament and Travelers Championship during the regular season.

The 28-year-old American was awarded an $8 million bonus for leading the Comcast Business Tour Top 10 heading into the FedExCup Playoffs, where he claimed $25 million for his Tour Championship victory. That takes his seasonal earnings – including bonuses – to a staggering $62,228,357 (£47.4 million).

“I felt like I was slowly but surely building toward something,” Scheffler said. “I had some decent starts to the year. I had a couple of top 10s to start with and I was close to winning in Phoenix. Overall, I was playing really solid, so I knew I was close.

“I made a few putts this year when I really needed them, and that’s why I’m sitting here with a lot of wins instead of a few. Last year I played good golf and I couldn’t make the key putts at the right time, and this year I can. That’s really the difference.

“I’m proud of the results. It’s something I try not to focus on too much, but at the end of the day it’s a great feeling to be able to win tournaments, and that’s what we’re working towards, and to get as many wins as I’ve had this year is really special.”

Scheffler added: “I feel like I’ve lived almost an entire lifetime in this one year. It’s been crazy. I think it always comes back to my faith. I think that’s what just keeps me grounded, keeps me in the right frame of mind.”

How Scheffler maintains his focus

Scheffler entered the Tour Championship with a two-stroke lead and was up seven strokes early in the final round. However, he recovered from a two-stroke lead by playing his next six holes in five under par to regain the tournament lead.

“He doesn’t care about anything,” said Collin Morikawa, who played alongside Scheffler for the final three rounds at East Lake. “Whether I was close to gaining ground or he was gaining ground, it didn’t change the way he walked, the way he played or the way he endured every shot.

“I think his mental game is a lot stronger than a lot of people realize. It’s amazing what he’s been able to do this whole season and honestly the last three years. It’s really cool to watch him.”

Scheffler had already squandered a six-stroke lead over McIlroy on the final day of the 2022 Tour Championship. But his latest victory marks the third straight time and eighth time in 14 attempts on the PGA Tour that he has converted a 54-hole lead into a victory.

“Think about how well he plays when he’s the guy to beat every week,” former FedExCup champion Justin Thomas said. “I don’t think people understand how hard that is to do.

“When you’re expected to win, when you’re the favorite to win, when everything you do on the golf course is being watched, good and bad, and how hard it is to stay in your own zone and your own little world and really forget about the hustle and bustle.

“It’s something that’s as much of a skill as being able to hit a driver down the fairway or an iron on line. He’s obviously got that down really well. Scottie just wants to play his best and win as many tournaments as he can, and he’s doing a pretty good job of that.”

Consistency key for Scheffler?

Scheffler is the best player in the world from tee to green. His 2023 total is the best since Woods in 2006. His 2,456 strokes gained last season were nearly a stroke better than any other player on the PGA Tour.

Only inconsistency on the greens prevented him from being a more prolific winner in the second half of 2023 and early this year, before a switch to a mallet-style putter in March added another element to Scheffler’s game.

“It looks like he’s basically doing the same thing he did last year, he’s just probably putting a little bit more consistently,” former FedExCup champion Viktor Hovland said. “When you do as well as he does every week and you start making some putts, you’re going to be really tough to beat.”

The switch to a different putter was suggested earlier this season by Rory McIlroy after the four-time major winner was impressed with Scheffler’s low scoring and ability to limit errors.

“The one thing I’ve always admired about Scottie is the amount of bogey-free rounds he shoots,” McIlroy said. “You just go back over the last two, three years and you look at how many rounds he’s shot, like four under par, no bogeys.

“It doesn’t look spectacular at all, but it’s just so solid. It doesn’t really get itself out of position. If you don’t make a bunch of bogeys, the field really has to do something special to keep up.”

A Tiger-esque season from Scheffler?

Scheffler has played down comparisons to Woods several times this season, but his continued brilliance has produced numbers and consistency not seen by the 15-time major champion in his prime.

Asked if Scheffler’s 2024 performance would be the best since Woods, former world No. 1 Adam Scott said: “I think it is fair. I think all the statistics back that up. I think the results back that up. It’s been pretty incredible.

“I think it’s similar to those great years of Tiger. It’s very hard these days for someone to stand out like Scottie did. I don’t think we’ve seen that in a long time.”

Scheffler’s FedExCup success came after topping the Tour Championship standings for the third straight year. He has 13 PGA Tour victories in a span of just over two and a half years.

“I think he’s literally in that position by the definition of dominance,” said Xander Schauffele, who entered the Tour Championship as his biggest challenger for FedExCup glory after two major victories in 2024.

“Since I’ve been out (on the PGA Tour), I think Dustin (Johnson) had a run, Brooks (Koepka) had a run, Jon (Rahm) had a run, Rory (McIlroy) had a run. But they were kind of going back and forth between one, two and three.

“It seems like Scottie has been on top of the mountain for two years now.”

Woods’ dominance lasted a generation. Scheffler has a long way to go if he wants to match those efforts, but he’s on track to continue his dominance for many seasons to come.

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