Scottie Scheffler and Nelly Korda are the biggest things in golf for a reason

The heights they are reaching have become comical, two golfers conquering their respective sports with such dominance that, at least for this moment, it is difficult to imagine anyone beating them.

Nelly Korda just won his fifth consecutive start, finishing with a major, the Chevron championship. Scottie Scheffler just won four of five starts with a Masters in between. The men’s and women’s world No. 1s are no longer just the best players in their sport. They are becoming two of the best ever. It got to the point this week on Hilton Head where Scheffler was jokingly asked if the two of them were competing.

“I don’t know, man,” he joked, “I think if it’s a competition she’s got me pretty beat right now. Five wins in a row. She had that T16 at the beginning of the year, which was just terrible. “I can’t believe she did that.”

And with their streaks of greatness came a funny little trend: who can post the most ridiculous and impressive stats or notes to quantify how incredible their golf was in 2024.

“Best five weeks since then.”

“Most hits since then.”

It got so extreme and fun that we decided, hey, let’s make a list of the most impressive and significant notes on Scheffler and Korda’s historical routes.

1. In their last 10 starts combined, Korda and Scheffler have beaten 1,163 golfers, to Monday Q Information. Not a single golfer beat. Stephen Jaeger avoided a playoff and beat Scheffler by one shot at the Houston Open after the latter’s putt on 18 missed. For Korda, it’s the first time anyone has won five consecutive LPGA events since Annika Sorsenstam (2004, 2005). Scheffler’s WW-T2-WW series is only the fifth series of five T2 or better in the last 30 years. Tiger Woods has done it eight consecutive times twice, and seven consecutive on another occasion. Scheffler matched Vijay Singh’s 2004 run.

2. Korda and Scheffler became the second pair of world No. 1 players in both men’s and women’s golf to win majors in consecutive weeks (since the inception of the Rolex Women’s World Golf Ranking). Tiger and Lorena Ochoa did it in consecutive weeks at the Women’s British Open and PGA Championship in 2007, second Atletico contributor Justin Ray.

3. Over the past 42 days, Scheffler has earned $16.3 million. That’s the second-most earned in a PGA Tour season, and he’s done it in just five events. That means Ted Scott, Scheffler’s caddy, earned about $1.78 million this year, placing him 45th on the 2024 PGA Tour money list, ahead of Rory McIlroy.

Scheffler is chasing his own record. Last season he earned $21.04 million.

4. It’s not just Scheffler’s victories. These are his two years of historical coherence. Scheffler has finished in the top three in 23 of his last 51 events. This beats nearly the entire field 43% of the time. For reference, Xander Schauffele is #2 on DataGolf and has been one of the most consistent players in men’s professional golf not named Scheffler. Schauffele’s betting odds before the RBC Heritage projected him to finish in the top five 30% of the time. For a tournament. Scheffler finished in the top three at nearly one and a half times that pace.

5. Scottie’s lead in the world rankings over No. 2 Rory McIlroy is greater than McIlroy’s lead over No. 788 Tiger Woods. Scheffler has double the OWGR points of McIlroy, with 690 total points for an average of 15 points versus McIlroy’s 338, for an average of 7.4.

The gap between world No. 1 Nelly Korda and world No. 2 Lilia Vu in the Rolex Women’s Golf Rankings is as large as the gap between Vu and the 185th-ranked player, Auston Kim.

6. Scheffler has played twice as many rounds of 64 or less this season (4) as he has par rounds (2). Par is also his worst score in 2024 (Round 2 at the Houston Open and Masters). He hadn’t shot above par since a 3-over 73 at the Tour Championship in August.

7. With her victory at the Chevron Championship, Korda became the third LPGA player to win five tournaments in five starts, joining Nancy Lopez (1978) and Sorenstam. After withdrawing from this week’s Los Angeles championship, Korda could get a record sixth win as early as the Founders Cup (May 9-12 in Clifton, NJ).

8. No American golfer had won five tournaments in a single LPGA season since Juli Inkster in 1999. Korda had just won five in consecutive events before May.

9. Korda leads the 2024 LPGA season points race with 2,702 CME Globe points. Lydia Ko is in second place and has earned less than half of that. Korda has already earned enough points to have finished third each of the last two years.

10. Korda, 25, became the youngest American player to win a second LPGA major since Juli Inkster (who was 23) in 1984 (via Justin Ray). Inkster ultimately won seven from 1984 to 2002. Meg Mallon is the only other American to make it to four majors in the 21st century. Korda is halfway there.

The only good news for the rest of the PGA and LPGA tours? Scheffler and Korda decided to take a week off.

(Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / Atletico; Photo: Andy Lyons, Andrew Redington / Getty Images)