Who Will Be The Man To Overthrow Scottie Scheffler?
In this week's edition of Inside The Ropes, our writers predict who could be the man to one day dethrone Scottie Scheffler as the world's best player
'Inside The Ropes' is the chance for Golf Monthly's expert team to share its honest thoughts on the biggest subjects in the game. This time, we consider who might be the man to finally knock Scottie Scheffler off of his perch...
Scottie Scheffler is on a historic run as the World No.1 continues to dominate at the top of the men's game.
The Texan recently won his second FedExCup trophy to make it a three-win season, meaning he now has 22 official PGA Tour victories, including four Majors, in just five years.
He banked a mammoth $43m during the Playoffs and Scheffler's earnings continue to skyrocket into the hundreds of millions.
Nobody in the game looks close to consistently challenging him right now, following spells from the likes of Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy and Xander Schauffele in recent years.
Someone will eventually usurp him in the world rankings - but who? And when?
That was the difficult question we asked ourselves in this week's edition of Inside The Ropes.
Read below for our tour experts' views, and let us know your take in the comments section below...
It's hard to see anyone knocking Scheffler off top spot any time soon, but golf is inherently unpredictable.
Very few players in the history of the sport have stayed at the top of their games for extended periods of time and injury, loss of form, off-course issues/change or a sudden lack of motivation can strike at any time.
The popular answer here is probably Rory McIlroy, but it seems to me he's increasingly prioritizing life outside of golf.
He's been a professional for 18 years and spent all his adult life in the public eye, so I don't see him putting together a sustained charge to re-capture the number-one spot.
Instead, I'm going to go with Xander Schauffele.
The American played golf of a ridiculous high standard in capturing two Majors in 2024, and while he's been a little off since then, I think he's one of very few players who is capable of challenging Scheffler on his day.
Cam Young has been very impressive recently, but he needs to prove he has what it takes to win a Major.
This is all dependent on Scheffler losing form to a pretty significant level, which I don't think anyone sees for several years yet.
But if Scheffler does indeed stop winning, I think Cameron Young is best placed to take over the no.1 spot at this stage.
He has already shown he's capable of winning some of golf's biggest events and his all-round game is world class, especially when he is putting well.
The flat stick has proved to be Young's Achilles heel in the past, but when he's on song on the greens there are few better.
I also think, on a more granular level, the fact he appears happy at home and has already been using a golf ball that conforms to the new testing criteria means nothing needs to change in his life or his game to reach that next level.
With a hugely successful year behind him, I think Young is Scheffler's next realistic challenger to the throne.
I agree with Nick on his Rory McIlroy take, especially as the Northern Irishman continues to focus more on solely the Majors. He is playing less on the PGA Tour and more on the DP World Tour, so getting back to the World No.1 spot will be tough with his slightly reduced schedule.
I also agree that Xander Schauffele can challenge Scheffler, and Cam Young too.
But I am going to list three names.
My first pick from the PGA Tour would be Wyndham Clark.
He won three times this year including a second US Open title, and on his day he has proven to be unbeatable.
Can he continue on this run? Or will 2026 be the peak of his career? I am not sure. I think it's realistic to believe that he can push on, though, and if he does, he may well be giving Scheffler a good run for his money.
My second and third picks come from the LIV Golf League.
Assuming he returns to PGA Tour action, I think Jon Rahm has another prolonged spell at the top in him. He has slightly lost his edge in the biggest events since joining LIV but he is still, for me, a generational talent.
I also think Joaquin Niemann's best golf is still in front of him.
He has won nine LIV Golf titles after two victories on the PGA Tour, so if he finds himself back on the US circuit I think he could have success quickly and get on a run.
The Chilean is still only 27 and I believe he has the potential to eventually become the world's best player.
It'll take a special talent to challenge Scheffler for the world no.1 spot and I just can't see that happening any time soon.
I suppose, looking at the OWGR, Jackson Koivun is the main stand out in terms of youth and what he's achieved in a short space of time.
You could add Michael Thorbjornsen, Akshay Bhatia and Michael Brennan into that list, but I don't see them getting on to Scheffler's level for another few years, minimum.
Therefore, as of now, I would say Cameron Young or Chris Gotterup are the more likely players to challenge Scheffler and, it's a big call, but if Jon Rahm leaves LIV and returns to the PGA Tour, I think he might be the one to step up.
Rahm's consistency on LIV has been immense but his Major form has dipped. Returning back to the PGA Tour would provide more competition and, as a result, might fire the Spaniard up to return to what we saw pre-LIV, where he was, arguably Scheffler's nearest challenger, claiming four wins in four months in 2023.
What do you think? Join the conversation below...