Scottie Scheffler beats Tiger Woods in a major off-course stat

Scottie Scheffler continues to accumulate records even though the 2024 season of competition has already ended. This Thursday, December 12, it was announced that Scheffler has displaced Tiger Woods from first place in a particular listing.

It's none other than the Google searches. According to a Google Trends study signed by expert Annanya Raghavan and cited by Golf Digest, Scottie Scheffler is the most searched golfer through this search engine.

Scheffler and Woods, Hero World Challenge (Image via Getty).

Tiger Woods had held the top spot on this list for 20 years but fell to second place in 2024 due to the exceptional season signed by Scottie Scheffler.

This is the list of the most searched golfers on Google (via Golf Digest):

1. Scottie Scheffler
2. Tiger Woods
3. Rory McIlroy
4. Grayson Murray
5. Bryson DeChambeau
6. Jordan Spieth
7. Nelly Korda
8. Xander Schauffele
9. John Daly
10. Rickie Fowler

Scottie Scheffler played 19 tournaments in 2024, with 16 top-10 finishes, including seven wins and two runner-up finishes. He won one major championship (the Masters Tournament), the Players Championship, and four Signature Events.

The study also looked at the most searched golf-related topics. Below are the top 10 from that list:

1. golf courses near me
2. us open golf
3. liv golf
4. shop golf shirts
5. golf now
6. olympic golf
7. callaway golf
8. golf channel
9. golf cart
10. golf shoes

What does this stat mean for Scottie Scheffler?

The fact that Scheffler leads in Google searches has a practical meaning because it is one of the parameters measured to determine the PGA Tour's Players Impact Program (PIP) ranking.

The program is designed to reward players who give the Tour more visibility in the digital universe. In addition to Google searches, other aspects are measured, such as searches and presence on social networks, appearance in content for these platforms, etc.

The PIP has a budget of $100 million (in 2023) distributed among the top 20 players in the rankings. This prize is for PGA Tour players only and the winner receives $15 million.

A year ago, Scheffler finished in fifth place. This is how the 2023 ranking will end:

• 1. Rory McIlroy — $15 million
• 2. Tiger Woods — $12 million
• 3. Jon Rahm — $9 million
• 4. Jordan Spieth — $7.5 million
• 5. Scottie Scheffler — $6 million
• 6. Rickie Fowler — $5.5 million
• 7. Viktor Hovland — $5 million
• 8. Justin Thomas — $5 million
• 9. Tommy Fleetwood — $5 million
• 10. Max Homa — $5 million
• 11. Xander Schauffele — $3 million
• 12. Jason Day — $3 million
• 13. Tony Finau — $3 million
• 14. Collin Morikawa — $3 million
• 15. Matt Fitzpatrick — $3 million
• 16. Wyndham Clark — $2 million
• 17. Cameron Young — $2 million
• 18. Justin Rose — $2 million
• 19. Patrick Cantlay — $2 million
• 20. Brian Harman — $2 million

The prizes won through the PIP are considered "unofficial" by the PGA Tour and are not included in the money list.