Scottie Scheffler won again, but the real impact of the victory didn’t show up on the scorecard. And the win at the 2026 American Express brought him much more than the $1.6 million prize money. 

When a golfer wins 20 official PGA Tour events over the course of their career, they receive a lifetime membership on the tour. And the AmEx victory was the world number one’s 20th win.

With the lifetime membership, Scheffler cannot lose full tour status regardless of future results. All he has to do is remain active and choose to play. 

Well, a lifetime membership doesn’t mean Scottie Scheffler can enter any event he wants. It simply means that the lifetime members are a category deeper in the tour’s priority list, right behind the last five winners of the major tournaments, winners of PGA Tour events, and a few other categories.

On top of that, major championships, invitational events, signature events, and a few other championships have their own priority list. 

Additionally, the win also brought Scheffler closer to elites like Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus.

How? He became the third golfer to win 20 PGA Tour events before the age of 30. And Woods and Nicklaus are the only other golfers to have done so. 

Scottie Scheffler Reacts to His 20th PGA Tour Win

“There's always a certain amount of rust when it comes to playing competitive golf,” the world number one confessed in the post-tournament interview. 

“You can simulate as best you can at home, but you can only get into the heat of the moment when you’re posting a score and you’re in contention when you’re at a tournament. So it’s nice to see some of the stuff that I’ve (been practicing) and working on has paid off.”

Scottie Scheffler hit four birdies across six holes. The 29-year-old posted 27-under-par 261 and won the tournament by four strokes. No wonder he was satisfied with his practice sessions. 

What do you think Scottie is going to achieve this year? Tell us in the comments.

Written by

Krushna Pattnaik

Edited by

Oajaswini Prabhu