Earlier this year, Rory McIlroy achieved something only a few golfers have accomplished. He completed his career grand slam with his victory at the Masters Tournament. It was his first major victory in eleven years and was a major milestone for him. The next question was, of course, who is next for a grand slam? Gary Player weighed in and believes it could very well be Scottie Scheffler.
Gary Player On Scheffler
Everyone has their favorite players in their favorite sport. For Gary Player, he has three: Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, and Scottie Scheffler. For a period of time, Player even said Jordan Spieth was the greatest in the world before switching to Scheffler. With NBC anchor John Clark, the subject of the majors came up. Clark then asked Player who he thinks will be the next professional to win a career Grand Slam.
“No question, Scottie Scheffler,” Player answered. “I mean, Scottie Scheffler is the best player in the world today. One thing that fascinated me, I’ve been talking to some coaches around the country to see what we could do about my Grandson, to get him on a team, and I was speaking to the man in Dallas the other day and he said, ‘Scottie Scheffler was at our college, we knew what a good player he was but he was the best athlete’. So that is a very significant thing.“
Scottie Scheffler is an obvious candidate for this; he has never been closer to making a grand slam than he is now. He is firmly in the No. 1 position in the OWGR, with Rory McIlroy following behind at No. 2. Now, what is stopping Scheffler from getting that grand slam? The answer is just one tournament.
Scheffler’s Major Wins
As of 2025, Scottie Scheffler has four major wins across three tournaments. He won the Masters in 2022 and 2024, the PGA Championship this year, and the Open, also this year. The only major missing from Scheffler’s lineup is the US Open. He came close in 2022, and of course, this year’s US Open was hard on everyone. Scheffler does have the skill to accomplish this; it is just a matter of when and where. Rory McIlroy had a head start with his major wins, getting three of them while Scheffler was still in the amateur leagues. It was just a matter of when for McIlroy before the Masters.
Is 2026 The Year?
Thinking back on the 2025 US Open, it was tough on everyone. Most players struggled with the Oakmont so much that one took his anger out in the locker room. For 2026, the US Open will be at Shinnecock Hills, so it is a possibility for Scheffler to bring home the trophy. For the world’s No. 1, a major golf achievement is within reach. He already has four major victories under his belt, and all he needs is one more unique victory. The 2025 season may be over, but there are still plenty of loose ends to be tied up in 2026. For Gary Player at least, his question is, when will Scheffler win the US Open?
Main Photo Credit: © Paul Childs-Reuters via Imagn Im
