Scottie Scheffler holds the trophy on hole No. 18 after the final round of the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Course on Sunday, June 1, 2025 in Dublin, Ohio. Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Scottie Scheffler Entering Tiger Woods Territory Ahead of 2025 U.S. Open

Originally posted on Texas Longhorns on SI
By Tyler Firtel | Last updated Jun 11, 2025 2:41 PM ET

After a slow start to the 2025 season by his standards, Scottie Scheffler has hit his stride. He has won three of the last four events he's participated in, including the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow. Scheffler has now been the world No. 1 for 107 consecutive weeks and could well be on his way to a fourth straight PGA Tour Player of the Year award.

The former Longhorn is on a dominant run only exceeded by that of Tiger Woods, who remains the top figure of professional golf excellence.

The third major of 2025, the U.S. Open, is getting underway on Thursday at Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania, and Scheffler is of course headlining the field. In fact, he is doing more than just that -- Scheffler's +280 odds to win, via Fanduel, are the shortest in a major since Woods in 2009, undeniably making him the player to beat this weekend.

Behind Scheffler in Fanduel's odds are defending U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau, 2025 Masters Tournament champion Rory McIlroy and two-time major champion Jon Rahm.

At arguably the toughest golf course in the world, the U.S. Open will be a challenge for everyone. The last time the major was held at Oakmont in 2016, only six golfers finished even or under par. Scheffler competed in that tournament as an amateur, still attending Texas at the time. He shot a one-under 69 on Thursday but a 78 on Friday, which resulted in him getting cut.

"I remember coming here and thinking it was really fun, really cool to be playing in the U.S. Open," Scheffler said in a pre-tournament press conference Tuesday. "You know, it was my first major and it was maybe my third start on the pro tour at the time ... It definitely made me excited to get out here for real because it was a really fun week. Obviously, I had a really good first round. I didn't play as well in the second, and that was a tough pill to swallow, missing the cut by one."

Yes, the cut was +6, providing perspective into what could be ahead in the next few days.

Scheffler has come a long way since his first U.S. Open nine years ago at Oakmont. He outlasts his opponents over the span of four days with his lack of mistakes and fearlessness in the biggest moments. Scheffler has, by far, the best birdie-to-bogey ratio on the PGA Tour this season. The Texas alum is ready for the test that the golf course is surely bringing, and the public agrees.

While aware of the betting favorite talk that has been transpiring recently, Scheffler knows not to pay attention to it.

"Starting Thursday morning, we're at even par and it's up to me to go out there and play against the golf course and see what I can do," Scheffler said.

He will play alongside Collin Morikawa and Viktor Hovland on Thursday and Friday, teeing off at 1:25 p.m. ET in the first round.

This article first appeared on Texas Longhorns on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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