Memorial Tournament: "Scottie Scheffler knows those guys are not in his league"- Jack Nicklaus drops bombshell take on 3x major champ's dominant run

Following Scottie Scheffler's dominant win at the Memorial Tournament, Jack Nicklaus said that the likes of Ben Griffin and Nick Taylor were not in his league. He added that the World No. 1 also knew it would have been a tougher challenge if players like Xander Schauffele were in the final group instead.

On Sunday, June 1, Scottie Scheffler fired a 2-under 70 to claim the Memorial Tournament 2025. With the win, he became the first player since Tiger Woods to successfully defend his title at the Jack Nicklaus-hosted event.

During the winner's press conference, Nicklaus lauded Scheffler for his performance. He also made a bold statement, saying the three-time major champion was far ahead of his peers.

"Well, I think that great players are ones who rise to the occasion and ones who know how to play coming down the stretch in important events," he said. "Looking at the leaderboard today, he didn't have -- I mean, Ben Griffin's a nice player, Sepp Straka is a nice player, Nick Taylor is a nice player. Those were all the guys that were there basically coming down the stretch.

"But he [Scottie Scheffler] knows that those guys are not in his league. Now, if he would have had -- I don't know who else it might have been, but if he had somebody else at the top, if Xander [Schauffele] or somebody like that would have been there, he might have said, 'Well, that might be a little tougher. I might have to do something different.' He didn't have to," he added.

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Speaking of Scheffler's dominant run, he has won three titles in his past four starts and posted a T4 finish at the Charles Schwab Challenge.

How much has Scottie Scheffler earned on the PGA Tour this season?

Scottie Scheffler has played 12 events this season and has posted nine top-10 finishes. He has bagged three wins, including the PGA Championship and two Signature Events, earning hefty paychecks along the way. Overall, his earnings have surpassed $14,558,697 so far this season.

Here's a look at Scottie Scheffler's earnings in the 2025 season:

AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (T9) – $535,000.00
WM Phoenix Open (T25) – $69,197.14
The Genesis Invitational (T3) – $1,200,000.00
Arnold Palmer Invitational (T11) – $451,250.00
THE PLAYERS Championship (T20) – $240,250.00
Texas Children's Houston Open (T2) – $845,500.00
Masters Tournament (4) – $1,008,000.00
RBC Heritage (T8) – $580,000.00
THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson (1) – $1,782,000.00
PGA Championship (1) – $3,420,000.00
Charles Schwab Challenge (T4) – $427,500.00
The Memorial Tournament (1) – $4,000,000.00

About the author

Shobhit is one of Sportskeeda’s most seasoned golf journalists, having already authored 3600+ articles and received nearly 5.7 million reads. Prior to his current role, he worked with the Asiana Times after completing his MSc in Geology, giving him a solid foundation in understanding the terrain, variety and challenges posed by various golf courses.

He is a keen follower of the sport and keeps himself updated about the latest trends, news and updates via social media and various news platforms. Shobhit is also methodical about accuracy, going through multiple articles from leading media houses and reputed sources before writing his own. Simultaneously, he specializes in writing reader-friendly content that conveys the necessary information in simple language.

Shobhit was a fan of Tiger Woods growing up, but of late, Nelly Korda, Scottie Scheffler and Ludvig Aberg have caught his attention.

He likes to spend his downtime singing and writing, while he is also an avid watcher of cricket and tennis.

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Edited by Shobhit Kukreti