From January through August, one man has occupied the top spot in The Power 18 Golf Rankings: world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler. Emerging victorious in his first event of the season, Scheffler has yet to reenter the winner's circle this season, though it has neither been for a lack of effort nor terrific performances.
In his final event of the regular season, Scheffler finished runner-up (again) to Jackson Koivun for his fifth such result of the year. He has fallen short of victories against not only Koivun but also Rory McIlroy at the Masters, Matt Fitzpatrick at the RBC Heritage, Cameron Young at the Cadillac Championship and Viktor Hovland at the Travelers Championship.
Strong, quality, high-end players have stopped Scheffler in his tracks this season, something no one has been able to do in the last handful of years. So, yes, Scheffler remains the clear class of professional golf. However, between a lack of sharpness with his wedges, poor putting overseas and the occasional slow start, the all-important statistic of wins is not one in which he leads.
That belongs to Fitzpatrick and Chris Gotterup with other multiple-time winners like Young and Wyndham Clark not far behind. In addition to Scheffler, those four players are likely your candidates for player of the year at the moment, but there is still time for that to change -- time for big wins to materialize in the postseason and time for players to put their stamp on this season and remind everyone of who they are.
The Power 18 provides insight into how golfers are currently performing, based on their play in recent events. It is a wider lens than simply what happened at the last tournament to be played but more narrow than the Official World Golf Rankings, which take into account how more than 2,000 golfers perform across an entire season.
The Power 18 golf rankings
| 1 | |
| Scheffler's run of 35 straight top-25 finishes came to an end with a missed cut at the Scottish Open, but he was quick to recover with a contention run at The Open. He followed it up with his fifth runner-up result of the season at the 3M Open, putting an end to what can only be described as a frustrating regular season for the game's top player. Scheffler had zero 54-hole leads this year. For reference, Davis Riley has had two. It's easier to win from out in front, and he'll look to do so in the FedEx Cup Playoffs. Previous: 1 | |
| 2 | |
| McIlroy has fired a round of 72 or higher in all but one tournament (Genesis Invitational) this season on the PGA Tour. While that may not seem like much on paper, it has left him playing chase as many of them have transpired in the third round, sending McIlroy's name in the wrong direction on Moving Day. He played well at the Scottish Open before a forgettable run at Royal Birkdale. He has now lost strokes on approach in three straight tournaments. Previous: 2 | |
| 3 | |
| The four-event downturn in quality has emerged from the other side for Young. Sat around, waited and looked oh so good for oh so long at The Open before Ryan Fox's birdie on the 72nd hole left him one shy of a playoff. The Players Championship winner then contended at the Rocket Classic with a top-10 finish. Despite a nice run of form, Young's putter is not the weapon it was earlier in the year. Previous: 7 | |
| 4 | |
| For how well he played in 2026, Fitzpatrick must be somewhat disappointed with his major record. It culminated with a missed cut at The Open, where he never sniffed any semblance of contention and was playing catch-up from the start. Before that, however, he had a serious chance at the Scottish Open and top-five efforts at the Travelers Championship and Canadian Open. Previous: 3 | |
| 5 | |
| Alongside Scheffler, he finished with the best cumulative score in the majors this year at 20 under, with nothing to show for it. Burns took the 54-hole lead into the final round at Royal Birkdale before an uneasy start unsettled his chances with a charging Fox next to him. Since the Memorial, he has five straight top-20 finishes, including two podium results coming at The Open and the U.S. Open. Previous: 5 | |
| 6 | |
| He's on a pretty similar trajectory to this time last season, albeit without the heartbreak. Fleetwood was fantastic in his homecoming at Royal Birkdale, where he finished a respectable T4 for his 11th top-20 finish in only 18 starts around the world this year. Every aspect is humming in his game; it's just about positioning himself for a weekend run as he did in the Tour Championship in 2025. Previous: 10 | |
| 7 | |
| Every time you count him out, Schauffele seems to respond. He just notched his best result of the year in the form of a runner-up to Michael Thorbjornsen at the Rocket Classic after yet another top-20 finish in a major championship. The two-time major winner clocked four top 20s in the four majors as he seeks to return to the Tour Championship after missing it for the first time in his career last season. Previous: 11 | |
| 8 | |
| The Open put an end to a long run of golf for Gotterup as he played every week between the final two majors of the season. In that span, he notched his third win of the season at the John Deere Classic and put together a solid defense effort at the Scottish Open. The cherry on top was a top-20 finish at The Open. He missed the cut at the Rocket Classic, although that was largely due to the putter. Previous: 8 | |
| 9 | |
| I'm buying a big postseason run from Morikawa. Seemingly healthy after a back injury that hindered his middle portion of the year, the two-time major champion is striking his irons as well as ever. In addition to his scoring clubs being in order, Morikawa has made serious inroads on the greens, gaining strokes in five straight events dating back to the PGA Championship. Look out for him at TPC Southwind. Previous: 9 | |
| 10 | |
| If Clark has taught golf fans anything, it is that you must take the good with the bad. After a run at the Scottish Open where he finished T13, Clark faced heightened expectations at The Open, where he clocked a top-five finish the year prior. He responded with a missed cut and then another at the Rocket Classic, but volatility is the name of his game. The run from the end of May to mid-July was some of the best golf all year by anyone. Previous: 4 | |
| 11 | |
| Playing fairly typical Russell Henley kind of golf right now. After a poor week at the U.S. Open, the Charles Schwab Challenge winner has since rattled off three straight top-20 results, including a back-door top 10 at The Open. At 37, Henley continues to defy conventional wisdom that distance is required in the modern game by getting the job done in his own way. Previous: 13 | |
| 12 | |
| Rahm was in the mix heading into the weekend at The Open before not one but two foul balls of the first tee sent him spiraling. He sank outside the top 40 and then finished outside the top 20 for the first time in his LIV Golf career in the league's return in the United Kingdom. Rahm remains a strong presence in the game, but statistically speaking, he is in the midst of his worst year since 2018. Previous: 6 | |
| 13 | |
| By a wide margin, Kim is having the best season of his career, matching his previous high ceiling with a level of consistency he was not known for. He has a legitimate chance to win The Open with nine holes to play but ultimately fell down to T6 for back-to-back top-10 efforts across the pond. The only thing he has to do this season is win, which he has not done since the 2023 Sony Open. Previous: Not ranked | |
| 14 | 
Ludvig Åberg
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| Kind of just blinked, and his name was on the first page of the leaderboard at Royal Birkdale. Åberg put together a solid showing at The Open with a quiet top-10 finish, which was oddly enough his first since the PGA Championship, where he was paired with Aaron Rai on the final day. Some inconsistencies continue to surface, especially in the short-game categories. Previous: 12 | |
| 15 | |
| The thing about the rules fiasco, the actions he took after receiving a penalty and all the ensuing noise is that it actually took away from DeChambeau's play. He was brilliant for two days at Royal Birkdale and still had some sort of chance heading into Sunday before settling for a top-20 finish. The two-time U.S. Open champion then finished a distant third behind Lucas Herbert in the UK. Previous: Not ranked | |
| 16 | |
| Right when it seems like everything is clicking, Hovland has a way of throwing question marks back into the discussion. The Travelers Championship winner had a perfect tune-up for The Open with a T13 finish at the Scottish Open, but he fell on the wrong side of the cut number at Royal Birkdale, making it three straight missed cuts in majors. That's woefully short of expectations given his talent level. Previous: 14 | |
| 17 | |
| Forget about the middle portion of Matsuyama's season and just focus on the bookends. The man from Japan is flying high once again with four straight top-20 finishes, including back-to-back top-five results at the 3M Open and the Rocket Classic. Matsuyama has seemingly gotten the driver under control after a year's worth of struggles with that club. Previous: Not ranked | |
| 18 | |
| Similar to Matsuyama, Gerard jumped out of the gates fast, slowed during the meat of the season and then emerged the last month or two. He has four top-10 finishes in his last seven starts, including a pair at big-time tournaments like his playoff loss at the Memorial and The Open, where he was in with a real chance come the weekend. His putting is continuing to complement the rest of his game. Previous: Not ranked | |
