Men's pro golf power rankings: Scottie Scheffler a clear No. 1, but who follows?

Major championship season is quickly approaching on the golf calendar, so now is the perfect time to unveil our first edition of the world power rankings. The Official World Golf Ranking refuses to rank them accurately, so someone must do a proper top 10.

Statistics and results are through The Players Championship. 

1. Scottie Scheffler | PGA Tour

Scheffler is the best golfer on Earth, and the gap between him and the rest of the world is growing larger by the week. Since the start of 2022, Scheffler has nine wins, 34 top-10 finishes and 22 top-threes in 51 starts. He led the PGA Tour in strokes gained from off the tee and strokes gained on approach last season, and he's doing the same this year. This level of ball-striking dominance and consistency is unprecedented. 

2. Jon Rahm | LIV

Here's where the list gets compelling. Rahm isn't on Scheffler's level in terms of his ball striking, but there are no weaknesses in his game. LIV Golf's newest star hasn't finished worse than tied for eighth in four starts with the rival league. We'd like to see Rahm pick up a victory on LIV before putting him in the Scheffler conversation, but he'll have a chance to make a statement next month when he defends his Masters title at Augusta National Golf Club.

3. Xander Schauffele | PGA Tour

Outside of Scheffler, Schauffele has been the most consistent performer on the PGA Tour over the last year. The American has five top-10 finishes in seven starts this season, and he has finished T18 or better in seven straight major championship appearances. Like Rahm, Schauffele has no glaring weakness, but it's fair to critique his lack of big wins. 

4. Brooks Koepka | LIV

Lack of big wins isn't an issue for our No. 4 player. Koepka is the best major championship performer of this era with five victories and 18 top-10 finishes. He won the PGA Championship last year and nearly won The Masters before Rahm edged him in the final round. It doesn't matter what Koepka does on LIV. He'll reside in the top five until his major championship dominance wears off. 

5. Rory McIlroy | PGA Tour

McIlroy is a tough player to rank at this point in his career. The Northern Irishman is still the best driver of the golf ball in the world and a remarkably consistent performer in the biggest events. But he has only one PGA Tour win since 2022 and hasn't won a major in 10 years. Time is quickly running out for the 34-year-old.  

6. Wyndham Clark | PGA Tour

A newcomer to the top-10 list, Clark oozes confidence even in high-pressure situations. He announced his presence last year by outdueling McIlroy at the U.S. Open, and all he has done this season is break the Pebble Beach course record to win and come in second to Scheffler in back-to-back weeks. Clark's arrow is pointing up. 

7. Viktor Hovland | PGA Tour

Hovland looked to be a contender for the No. 1 spot when he won the Memorial Tournament, the BMW Championship and the Tour Championship to close the 2022-23 season. He hasn't carried that momentum to this year, though, as he ranks 112th on tour in total strokes gained and 174th of 178 players in strokes gained around the green. The talent is there, but Hovland must fix his chipping and be more consistent to crack the top five.

8. Cameron Smith | LIV

Smith's putter is one of the most lethal weapons in any player's golf bag. The Australian rode his flatstick to an Open Championship victory at St. Andrews in 2022, and he leads LIV in putting average this season. Smith can be wild with his driver off the tee, but his elite short game can always save his errant shots. 

9. Ludvig Aberg | PGA Tour

If you were to construct the perfect golfer for today's game in a lab, he would look a lot like Aberg. The 24-year-old Swede drives it long and straight, hits laser iron shots and doesn't bleed strokes with his chipping and putting. Over his past 14 worldwide starts, Aberg has recorded two wins and nine top-10 finishes. He's a budding superstar on the PGA Tour. 

10. Bryson DeChambeau | LIV

The 10th spot could've gone to a handful of players, but we opted for DeChambeau because of his distinct advantage off the tee. The 30-year-old bomber leads LIV Golf in average driving distance (320.6 yards) this season, while no one on the PGA Tour is averaging more than 316.5 yards. DeChambeau has notched three straight top-10 finishes on LIV and won twice in the fall. He's always a threat to lap the field because of his historic driving distance.