Who Will Overtake Scottie Scheffler To Be Next No. 1 Ranked Golfer in World?

It was a strange week for Scottie Scheffler at the Genesis Invitational.

Just one shot off the lead entering the weekend, the reigning Masters winner, gold medalist, and FedEx Cup champion posted an uncharacteristic 76 in Saturday’s third round before bettering it by 10 strokes in Sunday’s final round during a performance that never quite screamed quintessential Scottie.

In the end, it equated to a share of third place, which is hardly any sort of failure, though it did mark his first three-tournament stretch without a win since this time last year, as he returned from an eight-week absence to finish T-9 at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am before a back-nine 41 led to a T-25 result at the WM Phoenix Open.

Asked to assess his game before leaving Torrey Pines, Scheffler admitted, “I feel pretty bad about where I’m at. … I’m trying to give myself a little bit of grace and some patience kind of getting back into the swing of things. I did some things in the last few weeks that I’m happy with and definitely some things that I need to improve on.”

That should be a terrifying proposition for the rest of the game’s elite players. If he feels “pretty bad” about his game after a third-place finish, just wait ‘til he starts feeling “pretty decent” about it, especially if that timing happens to coincide with major championship season.

No matter how he feels, Scheffler woke up Monday morning as the No. 1-ranked player for the 92nd week in a row, just as he will next week and the week after that and the week after that one.

At some point, though – whether it’s five months or five years from now – he’ll lose that designation. All good things come to an end, they say, and just as Tiger Woods’ run of 683 straight weeks atop the OWGR was thwarted by Adam Scott in the spring of 2014, somebody at some point will usurp Scheffler in this position.

All of which leads to a fascinating question: Who will be that player?

Common sense might suggest it’ll be the next one on the list. That remains Xander Schauffele, a two-time major champion last year, who’s barely clinging to the No. 2 spot while recuperating from a nagging rib injury. Then again, his 8.7461 average points are nearly six behind Scheffler’s number – or in more relatable terms, the differential between Nos. 1 and 2 is the same as the differential between Nos. 2 and 25.

It would hardly be a surprise if Schauffele continues his ascendancy and someday surpasses Scheffler, but he’s not exactly knocking on the door right now. And if you believe that he’ll inevitably get to No. 1 based solely on talent and opportunity, well, a certain guy named Phil Mickelson won a half-dozen majors without ever getting there.

Nipping at Xander’s heels for that No. 2 placement is Rory McIlroy, who’s been there/done that when it comes to holding the No. 1 spot. The Northern Irishman has served nine tours of duty atop the ranking over the course of 122 weeks, first reaching that level in 2012 and last being there just over two years ago. Like Schauffele, it certainly wouldn’t be a shock if Rory is the one to someday supplant Scottie.

My pick, though, isn’t either one of them.

It’s the guy who won at Torrey Pines on Sunday afternoon.

Even before Ludvig Aberg claimed his second career PGA Tour title, I’d been involved in this conversation and chosen the 25-year-old as next in line for the throne.

If anything, his victory at the Genesis felt like validation – if not for Aberg himself, then for those of us media types who have been heralding him as a generational talent for the past two years.

I completely understand when fans hear words such as these and become instantly fatigued by what can be viewed as a never-ending proclamation for can’t-miss prospects, some of whom do indeed wind up missing. There’s more than a little Boy Who Cried Wolf at play here, as we collectively continue to hype the next big thing, only to become even more excited about the *next* next big thing.

Aberg, though, has “it” – and while we should always stop short of any Tiger Woods comparisons with a young player, there are certainly comps we can make to Jon Rahm on the low end and Rory McIlroy as his ceiling.

In fact, while watching Ludvig, I’m reminded of something Ian Poulter told me about Rory back in 2008, when he was still 18 years old and a future up-and-comer.

I’m paraphrasing here, but the gist was this: “Off the tee, he hits it long and he hits it straight, which works on every golf course in the world. His iron play is brilliant, his wedges are very good and he makes a lot of very difficult putts.” At this point, Poulter threw his hands up in the air, shook his head and proclaimed, “That’s it. That’s golf. If you can do all of those things really well, you’re going to have a very long, successful career.”

The same can be said about Aberg.

Through four starts this year – a win, a T-5, a T-42 when he was dealing with the flu and a WD that was the aftermath of that illness – his stats won’t overwhelm anyone. He’s averaging “only” 305.5 yards off the tee, which ranks a mere 74th on the PGA Tour. He’s 48th in approach, 68th around the greens and 110th putting, none of which scream superstar.

Use the ol’ eye test, however, and you’ll see a player who competes with a beautiful rhythm and tempo, owning a quiet confidence that sometimes gets mistaken for a lack of killer instinct.

It’s this confidence which allowed him to flash a meme-inducing eye-pop after flushing a 7-wood over the back of the green on the final hole this weekend, the same confidence which never left him as he coolly sank a 6-foot, 9-inch birdie putt just a few minutes later to seal the victory.

And it’s that confidence which should allow him to continue winning big-boy events against big-boy fields on big-boy golf courses.

Now the fourth-ranked player in the world, Aberg isn’t going to overtake Scheffler’s top spot this week or this month or, very likely, even this year. At some point, though, somebody will become the new No. 1 and my money is on the guy who just showed us how good he can be.