Golf's New No. 1 Has Snuck Up on Everyone

There's a new No. 1 in the world of golf this week, but don't be surprised if you haven't heard the name Scottie Scheffler before. The 25-year-old has caught much of the golfing world by surprise as well. Reuters points out the astonishing stat that Scheffler has moved from 824th in the rankings to No. 1 in just two years. He hadn't even won a PGA tournament until February, which calls to mind another stat via GolfMagic: It took Scheffler just 42 days to go from his first victory to the No. 1 ranking, shattering the record of 252 days held by Tiger Woods.

"I'll believe it when I see it on the world rankings," Scheffler told NBC after his win Sunday at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play in Austin vaulted him from No. 5 to No. 1, per Sports Illustrated. "I never really got that far in my dreams, to be honest with you." At Golf.com, Dylan Dethier describes that as "an incredibly corny line that he delivered so earnestly I choked up just watching." It's part of the formula that has made Scheffler the first of his generation to reach No. 1, Dethier writes. "Simple. Grateful. And really good at golf. The recipe seems be working for Scheffler." On the horizon: Scheffler will try to hang on to his No. 1 status at the Masters next month. (More golf stories.)