Why the “Boring” Scottie Scheffler Tag Is a Little…Boring 

Any sports opinion is invariably mired in subjectivity. You can argue over Woods or Nicklaus, Maradona or Messi, Jordan or James, and there isn’t any definitive answer. Yet, it is widely recognized that those athletes who display eccentricities – both in their game performance and personal life – tend to loom larger in the sporting pantheon than those who are more business-like, even if measurable statistics of success dictate otherwise. 

Arguably, such is the case with Scottie Scheffler. The in-form player in world golf, the world number one, and top of nearly everyone’s list of 2024 Masters tips, Scheffler has been in several media profile articles of late, most of which have heaped praise on the American’s talents despite the fact he lacks the “razzmatazz” (the word used by one publication) of other greats like Tiger Woods. In all but words, they are calling Scheffler boring, even if they qualify it by pointing out his sporing genius. 

The line is blurred

The problem is one of perception. In sports, we often blur the lines between consistency and boringness. It does not happen all the time, of course: Tiger Woods was incredibly consistent at his peak, and few deemed him boring. Yet, others can’t escape the tag. 

Scheffler is not boring, of course. He is consistent – incredibly so. His record in the Majors since 2021 (before the 2024 Masters) has seen him finish in the top ten two-thirds of the time and the top three in four of 12 tournaments. 

He rarely misses a cut: He is, as we have said, ultra-consistent. So what is it that makes the association boring?

“I saw somebody on the internet say he’s boring. I would imagine that’s what you would dream of, to become the best player in the world and someone who is going to set records and win a bunch of majors.” Max Homa on Scottie Scheffler

Perhaps it is Scheffler’s demeanor, or the fact that he is often described as “grounded”. He is quietly spoken, and he is a family man. He’s not likely to be in the news for his personal life. Guarded about his personal life? Yes, but he is also engaging when put in front of the media. 

Scheffler takes risks 

As Homa argued above, nobody who watches Scheffler play can claim he is dull or unambitious on the course. He takes risks and plays shots that few people on this planet could pull off. He has been involved in pulsating comebacks, and he has dropped his fair share of leads. He is typical of any great golfer in that respect. 

While we could draw parallels within golf, for our part we see something similar in Scheffler to Stephen Hendry, the former world champion snooker player. If you aren’t aware of Hendry, he was incredibly dominant in the 1990s, winning seven world titles (a record that stands today). Yet, many fans and pundits refrain from calling Hendry the greatest ever, preferring instead to laud Ronnie O’Sullivan as the best of all time.  As we said at the beginning of this piece, it is subjective, but many lean toward O’Sullivan due to his perception as a flawed genius. 

Scheffler feels somewhat like Hendry in that his consistent excellence leads to a lack of drama. Like Scheffler, he took risks and made seemingly impossible shots look easy, all of which fed into the idea that he was boring. He wasn’t. And like Scheffler, someone who has that supreme talent will always provide riveting insight into their chosen sport. And like Scheffler, someone who has that supreme talent will always provide riveting insight into their chosen sport.