The Power 18 golf rankings: Scottie Scheffler in league of his own as Rory McIlroy, Xander Schauffele move up
Scheffler is atop the FedEx Cup standings and The Power 18 entering the playoffs
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8 min read
Major champion season and the PGA Tour's regular season are both in the rearview mirror with only the FedEx Cup Playoffs and the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black remaining on playing schedules for the remainder of the calendar year. While more than 30 weeks and 30 tournaments have transpired since the flip of the calendar back in January, the same man remains atop the golf world at No. 1 in the Power 18 golf rankings.
While there may have been some doubt across the first four months of the season, Scottie Scheffler ensured that the 2025 campaign belonged to him following his victory at The Open in Northern Ireland. Raising his second major trophy of the year and the fourth of his career, the world No. 1 grabbed his fourth victory of 2025 and put together one of his most well-rounded performances en route to becoming the Champion Golfer of the Year.
Scheffler surged past many of his counterparts in more ways than one including the local lad, Rory McIlroy, with whom he was tied for most wins on the season with three. McIlroy has slowly but surely marched out of the valley he was experiencing ever since capturing the career grand slam at the Masters. A couple of quality outings at the Scottish Open and The Open have the five-time major champion behind Scheffler in the penultimate rankings of the 2025 season as others jostle for positioning down the board.
The Power 18 provides insight as to how golfers are currently performing with benefit given to their play over 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
| 1 | |
| Matt Fitzpatrick may have put it best at The Open when he stated Scheffler was a stroke better per round than the second-best player in the world ... and all but one player is not the second-best player in the world. Scheffler finished inside the top 10 in all four major championships, raised two trophies along the way and stood 21 strokes better than that second-best player across the 16 major rounds. His ability to identify a deficiency and improve on it 00 while maintaining the rest of his game -- has been put on display with his putting. Previous: 1 | |
| 2 | |
| A couple weeks off coupled with a move to Wentworth were enough to get McIlroy out of whatever funk he was experiencing after his win at Augusta National. He has now rattled off four straight top-20 finishes since his final-round 67 at the U.S. Open, including late Sunday tee times at both the Scottish Open and The Open where he finished T2 and T7, respectively. He is currently experiencing the best putting season of his career by a rather significant margin. Previous: 3 | |
| 3 | |
| Just never got going at The Open en route to a disappointing T34 finish at Royal Portrush, his first finish outside the top 15 in a major championship since the 2024 PGA Championship. On LIV Golf, though, it has been business as usual as he nearly won in his home country of Spain at Valderrama and notched a top-five result in the United Kingdom the week following The Open. He ranks second in the season-long race and will look to claim back-to-back individual crowns in his first two seasons with LIV Golf. Previous: 2 | |
| 4 | |
| Battled back tough from an opening 78 at The Open to squeak his way inside the top 10 -- his third major top-10 finish in 2025. He continues to drive the golf ball on a different level compared to his peers, but his short game has come up short the last couple of months leading to some inconsistent results on LIV Golf. Previous: 4 | |
| 5 | |
| It's been a forgettable season for Schauffele, yet he was still one of the best major championship competitors of the year. That's how rock steady he has been. The two-time major champion notched back-to-back top-10 finishes at the Scottish Open and The Open as he continues to try to recapture the magic on the greens from a season ago. He finished the year just one stroke worse than McIlroy across the four majors. Previous: 8 | |
| 6 | |
| The most underrated player in the game, Henley has now notched four straight top-10 finishes, including a runner-up result at the Travelers Championship and entries inside the top 10 at the U.S. Open and The Open. After some struggles on the greens to kick off his summer, he is starting to roll the rock as well as ever. It has been the best season of his career by nearly 0.50 strokes per round. Previous: 7 | |
| 7 | |
| It's one of those major championship seasons that will get lost in history, but English's play on the biggest stages in 2025 is cause for a massive jump in the rankings. Twice a runner up to Scheffler with other top-notch finishes this year including a win at the Farmers Insurance Open and top five at the Travelers Championship, the smooth-swinging right hander has proven capable on any test. His iron play has looked much better as of late. Previous: 18 | |
| 8 | |
| The early-season struggles seem like a lifetime ago. Fitzpatrick has found his groove, rattling off five straight top-20 finishes, four of which have doubled for top-10 efforts. He finished T4 at both the Scottish Open and The Open and has since brought his game back stateside with a quality outing at the Wyndham Championship. It would be the least bit surprising if he wins during the FedEx Cup Playoffs. Previous: Not ranked | |
| 9 | |
| Hatton experienced one of the better major championship seasons as he made all four cuts and factored at the U.S. Open and The Open. A poor final round at Royal Portrush turned a week where he largely occupied the top 10 into a misleading T16 result. After bemoaning his driver in late spring, the Englishman has rediscovered the sweet spot with the big stick. Previous: 10 | |
| 10 | |
| Griffin's summer heater was cooled off in the form of back-to-back missed cuts at the John Deere Classic and The Open, but he has since regained his footing. Griffin finished inside the top 15 at the Wyndham Championship and heads into the postseason secured of a tee time at the Tour Championship. He finds himself on the Ryder Cup bubble with a little work to do if he is to don the red, white and blue this fall. Previous: 5 | |
| 11 | |
| The results since his win at the Travelers Championship have not been great, but his play is better than what has been put on paper. Bradley was in the mix early at The Open before a forgettable weekend and has since missed the cut at the Wyndham Championship. His status as playing captain has been thrown in flux (again!) with wins from a couple of young guns. Previous: 6 | |
| 12 | |
| Fleetwood ranks as a top-10 player statistically, but unfortunately, not in the trophy category. Expectations were high for Fleetwood when golf turned to his side of the pond, but it was met with a couple of meh finishes in the form of a T34 at the Scottish Open and T16 at The Open. He remains the model of consistency, even more so with the putter starting to hum. Previous: 9 | |
| 13 | |
| Driver continues to flummox him, but his iron play has been world class. Hovland had his moments at the Renaissance Club where he finished T11 before a mundane finish at The Open. His short game still bleeds strokes to the field, but he appears to be in a position where he can still win in spite of it. Previous: 13 | |
| 14 | |
| Åberg, frankly, has been bad for most of the summer. However, when you look at the finishes, he does have four top-25 results in his last six tournaments. The Swedish superstar touched the lead at one point over the weekend at the Scottish Open en route to his first top-10 finish since the Masters and backed it up at Royal Portrush with a T23. He appears primed for a breakout performance here shortly. Previous: NR | |
| 15 | |
| Have to tip your cap to the man. The U.S. Open winner made the cut in all four major championships this season, including not only his win at Oakmont but also a T23 in his Open debut. Supremely accurate off the tee and dependable with his irons in hand, Spaun has transformed into a top-end player in 2025. Previous: 15 | |
| 16 | |
| No longer in the category of winless on the PGA Tour, Young left no doubt at the Wyndham Championship en route to his maiden trip to the winner's circle. The former PGA Tour Rookie of the Year has become a top-10 putter on the circuit. Combined with getting healthy, he has seen his game flourish. Young has three top-five finishes in his last six starts, including his close call at the U.S. Open. Previous: NR | |
| 17 | |
| MacIntyre is doubling up the previous best season of his career in terms of total strokes gained. He was flabbergasted by his play in his Scottish Open defense but rebounded well with a top-10 effort at The Open. The Scotsman has five top-20 finishes in his last seven starts and is displaying a well-rounded nature to his game not yet seen before. Previous: 17 | |
| 18 | |
| Top-five in the Official World Golf Rankings and top five in the FedEx Cup standings, Thomas continues to lag behind on the major championship stage. His game is in good order as he is gaining nearly 0.60 strokes per round with the putter -- the best mark of his career -- but he will go as far as his driver will take him as golf courses that require consistent use of that club continue to give him trouble. Previous: 14 | |
