Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler Are Closing In on One of Tiger Woods' Biggest Records

Tiger Woods has sat atop the PGA Tour's career earnings list for more than a quarter century. That remarkable run could finally come to an end during the FedExCup Playoffs, with both Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler within striking distance.

Masters champion Scottie Scheffler of the United States and Masters champion Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland during the Green Jacket Presentation Ceremony after the final round of the 2025 Masters Golf Tournament on April 13, 2025 in Augusta. | IMAGO / Bildbyran

For more than 26 years, Tiger Woods has owned one of the PGA Tour's most remarkable records.

Since climbing to the top of the Tour's official career earnings list in early 2000, Woods has never been knocked from the No. 1 spot. Generations of stars have come and gone, but the 15-time major champion has remained the standard.

Now, that streak is closer than ever to ending.

As the FedExCup Playoffs begin this week, both Rory McIlroy and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler are within reach of passing Woods' all-time official PGA Tour career earnings mark, setting up one of the most fascinating statistical storylines of the postseason.

Woods currently sits atop the all-time list with $120,999,166 in official PGA Tour earnings.

McIlroy is second at $116,446,772, while Scheffler is right behind him at $116,364,411. That leaves each player less than $5 million away from the record, a gap that could disappear before the Tour Championship concludes later this month.

The FedExCup Playoffs Could Rewrite Golf History

The timing is hardly a coincidence.

Modern PGA Tour purses have reached unprecedented levels, giving elite players opportunities to earn in a matter of weeks what once took seasons.

The FedEx St. Jude Championship opens the three-event playoffs with a $20 million purse, followed by another $20 million purse at the BMW Championship.

The biggest opportunity arrives at the Tour Championship, where this year's purse is $40 million. The winner will receive $10 million, and under the PGA Tour's current format, those earnings count toward players' official career totals.

That means a victory at East Lake, combined with a strong playoff run, could be enough for either McIlroy or Scheffler to move past Woods before the season comes to a close.

Tiger Woods' Record Has Stood Through Multiple Eras

What makes the record so remarkable isn't simply the dollar amount. It's how long Woods has held it.

After making his PGA Tour debut in 1996, Woods rose to No. 1 on the career earnings list in 2000 and has stayed there ever since, even as injuries dramatically limited his schedule over the past decade.

His 82 PGA Tour victories and 15 major championships transformed professional golf, while the financial boom that followed helped reshape the sport's economics.

Ironically, those same soaring purses are now creating the conditions for Woods' record to fall.

McIlroy has been among the Tour's most consistent stars for nearly two decades, while Scheffler has compiled one of the most dominant stretches golf has seen in recent years. With both players entering the playoffs near the top of the FedExCup standings, each has a realistic path to becoming the PGA Tour's new career earnings leader.

Whether it happens this week or at the Tour Championship, one of Woods' longest-standing accomplishments now appears closer than ever to changing hands.