Controversial golf pundit: Scottie Scheffler still "miles ahead" in PGA Tour player of the year race

Scottie Scheffler may only have one win under his belt on the PGA Tour this season but he is still leading the player of the year race by a wide margin, according to Brandel Chamblee.

Scheffler, 30, opened his 2026 campaign with a win at The American Express but has since been unable to add another victory that would bring him his 21st PGA Tour title.

The four-time major champion has recorded nine top-five finishes in 14 starts, has not finished outside the top 25 since August 2024, and is currently on a streak of 78 consecutive cuts. 

His play-off defeat to Viktor Hovland at the Travelers Championship in Connecticut marked his fourth runner-up finish this year. He also finished second at The Masters, RBC Heritage and the Cadillac Championship. 

Last year Scheffler won six times, including two major championships, but his run of second-place finishes and occasional on-course frustration has led to questions over whether his dominance in the men’s game may be easing.

Chamblee, however, believes Scheffler remains "miles ahead" in the player of the year race. 

"Scheffler's year thus far reminds me a little of [Nelly] Korda's in 2025," the controversial Golf Channel pundit wrote on X. 

"Nelly played at a very high level and statistically was only negligibly off from 2024 when she won seven times, and yet did not have a win. 

"Scheffler has just one win this year, and some might argue that the POY year race is wide open, but he's actually miles ahead. 

"We are all biased by win totals, sometimes at the expense of consistency. 

"For the past two years Scottie has been consistently brilliant, this year he has been brilliantly consistent. 

"If Rory or Fitz wins The Open the story changes but right now Scheffler, despite not being dominant in wins, dominates the POY."

Scheffler became just the second man after Tiger Woods to be crowned the PGA Tour's player of the year last December. 

Woods, who was named player of the year 11 times, won five in succession between 1999 and 2003.

For his part, Scheffler believes that he's not too far away from his best.

After coming up short on his first attempt to complete the career grand slam at the U.S. Open, he told reporters: "I don’t know exactly what it is.

"I've been pretty good in first rounds over the last few years, and for some reason, the sharpness just hasn't been there early in tournaments. 

"I haven't had those leads that I've needed in order to win tournaments. I've been playing catch-up all year."