Scottie Scheffler reminded everyone that he is the standard in golf.
The world number one and leader in the FedEx Cup standings shot a second-round 61 to take the lead of the FedEx St Jude. He tied the course record at TPC Southwind and holds a three-shot lead going into the weekend.
Scheffler has not lived up to his own lofty standards this season. He does have 11 top-fives on the season so far, and has five runner-up finishes, but Scheffler has won just once in the PGA Tour regular season.
However, having won 15 times over the past two seasons, he’s still clearly still the best player in golf. Scheffler has the most rounds of -9 or better on the PGA Tour since the beginning of the 2020 season.
That’s mighty impressive, and it’s three more than the next closest player. But where Ludvig Aberg ranks on that list could actually be a more impressive accomplishment than Scheffler’s.
Ludvig Aberg stats show his PGA Tour career so far is underappreciated
Scheffler is the best player in golf, so it’s no surprise to see that he has the most nine-under rounds on the PGA Tour over the last six years, with 11. Behind him on eight -9 rounds are Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay, Mackenzie Hughes, and Aberg.
Thomas, Cantlay, Hughes, and Scheffler are all PGA Tour veterans. They have been on the tour since 2020, and have six years to accumulate these rounds. But not Aberg.
The Swede only started playing full-time on the PGA Tour in 2023. He’s had half the time to record eight -9 rounds compared to the names around him on this list.
So while the once highly-touted amateur might have disappointed so far in many people’s minds, perhaps the start to his professional career is underappreciated.
These numbers tell Aberg’s story pretty effectively. His talent is clearly immense, and when he’s firing on all cylinders, no one is better than the 26-year-old. But with that talent comes expectation, and two PGA Tour wins in his career so far doesn’t do his talent justice.
Aberg has been known to throw away his chances of winning when he’s in the mix late in tournaments. He’s got low rounds in him, we all know that, but stringing four rounds together in a week has been his problem.
But by the end of his third year on the PGA Tour, Scheffler had only won three times. So perhaps we should give this young star some grace before judging his career too quickly.