Scottie Scheffler begins 2026 with a four-shot victory at The American Express

Drew Smith
January 26, 2026
Golf
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Scottie Scheffler picked up right where he left off and made it clear the rest of the golf world is still chasing him. The world No. 1 opened his 2026 PGA Tour season by running away with The American Express, firing a closing 6-under 66 to finish at 27-under and win by four shots.

Scottie Scheffler wins the 2026 American Express

1 start. 1 win. 🏆

Scottie Scheffler dominates @TheAmExGolf with a 4-shot victory! pic.twitter.com/6x3E2pa7CV
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 25, 2026

It was never really in doubt once Sunday got going.

Scottie Scheffler started the day one back at PGA West and turned it into a coronation. A birdie at 12 blew the lead open after Andrew Putnam bogeyed ahead of him, and that was basically it. The double bogey on the island par-3 17th did nothing but shrink the margin. The tournament was already over.

This win was the 20th of Scheffler’s career, and the numbers are starting to sound fake. Fourteen of those wins have come in his last 35 starts. He won seven times in 2024, then added six more in 2025, including the Masters Tournament, the PGA Championship, and the British Open. The only thing missing is the U.S. Open, which is all that stands between him and the career grand slam.

Scottie Scheffler gets up-and-down for birdie on 11 to go up by two shots in the desert. 😤 pic.twitter.com/cEIpaRWdGQ
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) January 25, 2026

At 29 years old, Scheffler is now just the third player in the modern era to reach 20 wins and four majors before turning 30, joining Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. That is not a comparison you force. That is one you earn.

He has not missed a cut since August 2022. Last season, his worst finish was a tie for 25th at the WM Phoenix Open, and he finished outside the top 10 just three times. That level of consistency is what separates him from everyone else.

The rest of the field was playing for second. Jason Day closed with an 8-under 64 to finish at 23-under, joined by Ryan Gerard, Matt McCarty, and Putnam. Eighteen-year-old Blades Brown, who flirted with a 59 earlier in the week, finished tied for 18th at 19-under and narrowly missed a top-10 that would have earned him a spot at Torrey Pines next week.

Scheffler also crossed another line Sunday. The $1.7 million winner’s check pushed him past $100 million in career PGA Tour earnings. Only Rory McIlroy and Woods have ever done that.

What makes this scary is how routine it all looked. Scheffler fell one back after Saturday, then rattled off four birdies in seven holes early Sunday and never let anyone breathe. He nearly chipped in for eagle on 11. He hit shots that demoralize fields. When everything lines up for him, there is nothing the Tour can do about it.

Scottie Scheffler is healthier than he was a year ago, fully prepared after a clean offseason, and completely locked in. His putting is no longer a weakness. His ball striking is still the best in the world. He is just as comfortable winning at 9-under as he is at 27-under. That is the difference.

If this is how 2026 is starting, the uncomfortable question is obvious. This might not be the peak. It might just be the continuation of one of the greatest runs modern golf has ever seen.