Pat Perez never thought he would see another player do what Tiger Woods did.
then came Scottie Scheffler.
“Tiger’s two months older than me. I met him when we were eight years old. I played against him. I’ve played against this guy my whole life. Never in my lifetime did I think I’d see a guy play anywhere near — not the same game, obviously — but be as dominant as him. I just didn’t think. I just didn’t think it would come.” GOLF subparagraph co-hosts Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz.
Perez played against Woods for most of his professional career. He has seen the coming of the next generation and the one after that. For him, there’s one player who had a chance to be close to Tiger’s level, and it’s not Scheffler. But it’s the way Scheffler has climbed to become the dominant force in golf — while maintaining an even footing — that has impressed Perez the most.
“I still think Rory is as close as I’ve seen to the talent with Tiger,” Perez said. “I don’t think anybody’s ever going to get to 82 wins. But (Scottie) is different. I don’t know what it is. I love the way he goes about his business. It’s just golf. Go home. Family. No flash. No nothing. He just does what he does and goes home. It’s almost like he doesn’t realize what he’s doing and how big it is.
“I mean, Tiger’s hitting is all over the map sometimes. He’d hit this wedge over a tree about a foot in the dark. The theatrics he put on was incredible. Scottie is doing it, just in a different way. I just can’t believe he’s separated himself so much. When the guy does that, you know he’s going to be there at the end.”
To hear more from Perez, watch the entire episode below.
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Josh Schrock
Editor of Golf.com
Josh Schrock is a writer and reporter for Golf.com. Prior to joining GOLF, Josh was the Chicago Bears insider for NBC Sports Chicago. He previously covered the 49ers and Warriors for NBC Sports Bay Area. An Oregonian and UO native, Josh spends his free time walking his wife and dog, thinking about how the Ducks are going to break his heart again, and trying to become semi-proficient at scratch. A true golf romantic, Josh will never stop trying to break 90 and will never lose faith that Rory McIlroy’s drought will end (update: he did it). Josh Schrock can be reached at josh.schrock@golf.com.
