The Power 18 golf rankings: Scottie Scheffler extends gap over peers as Jon Rahm rises with U.S. Open ahead

With three wins in our starts, Scheffler is back to being seemingly unstoppable on the PGA Tour

There was a point this season -- not too long ago, in fact -- where many believed Rory McIlroy had usurped Scottie Scheffler as the game's best despite what the Official World Golf Rankings and many metrics may have stated. That point is now in the distant past as Scheffler's surge across the month of May zoomed him well past any contemporaries as the long summer of professional golf begins.

The 16-time PGA Tour winner has added three more trophies to his mantle -- all in the last four weeks since we last took stock of The Power 18, ranking the best-performing players in golf. Scheffler stood at No. 1 then, and he stands at No. 1 now because, well, there is nowhere higher to put him.

Scheffler tied the PGA Tour scoring record at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, won by five strokes at the PGA Championship (for his third major championship) and clipped the field by four at Jack's Place for his second straight Memorial title, making him only the second successful tournament defender at Muirfield Village in history (Tiger Woods, 1999-2001).

As golf has been for the last three years, it is Scheffler and then everyone else. But what about everyone else? How does that shake out ahead of the U.S. Open where those on the PGA Tour and LIV Golf will reconvene for the third time this season? 

The top player in the game has never been clearer -- Scheffler is a 5/2 favorite for the year's third major ahead of Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau (15/2), per FanDuel Sportsbook -- but that same thing can be said about the top four given it is an even split between the competing leagues. Those in the latter organization have fared well in the first two majors of the season, and with a league event this week ahead of the trip to Oakmont, they seek their first entrance into the winner's circle on the major stage.

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	Scottie Scheffler
What else is there to say? Scheffler pitched a perfect game at TPC Craig Ranch en route to victory, scratched and clawed his way to a convincing win at Quail Hollow and trundled along at Muirfield Village. That is now three wins in his last four starts with the U.S. Open on deck. The national championship did not treat him well last season, but he will come in with a week's worth of rest and arrive at a golf course that should suit his eye. Previous: 1
2	Rory McIlroy
For a champion who completed his career grand slam about six weeks ago, McIlroy experienced a quite subdued May. He returned to individual competition with a top-10 finish at Philly Cricket Club before dodging the media at the PGA Championship and ultimately settling for a forgettable result. He returns to action this week at the RBC Canadian Open -- where he is the favorite to win -- before heading to the U.S. Open where he has only lost to two players the last two years. Unfortunately, their names are Bryson DeChambeau and Wyndham Clark. Previous: 2
3	Bryson DeChambeau
He has finished T5 at the Masters and T2 at the PGA Championship without the luxury of competent iron play. That should scare everyone else as DeChambeau continues to blister the golf ball off the tee and caress it into the hole with care on the greens. He has rattled off five straight top-five finishes worldwide and returns to action this week in Virginia. A new set of irons may be making their debut as well. Previous: 3
4 🔺	Jon Rahm
Golf is better when Rahm is in the major mix. The PGA Championship reminded us of this as he held a share of the lead on the back nine on Sunday at Quail Hollow before some untimely bounces and unsuccessful up-and-downs upended his chances for the third leg of the career grand slam. He now has three straight top 15s in major championships and nine straight top 15s this season. Similar to DeChambeau, the driver has been on a string and the iron play has left a little to be desired. Previous: 6
5 🔻	Xander Schauffele
He's close but not quite there. Schauffele connected on four straight top-20 finishes at one point this season before sneaking into the weekend at the PGA Championship and back tracking Sunday at the Memorial. It just seems that one area of his game hinders his chances every week, and it varies by tournament. The good news is he has been the model of consistency at the U.S. Open where he has eight top-15 finishes in as many starts. Previous: 4
6 🔺	Joaquin Niemann
He has done it. The young Chilean finally finished inside the top 10 at a major championship with his T8 result at the PGA Championship, and perhaps that will free him up moving forward. He has three wins on LIV Golf this season and is expected to factor at Robert Trent Jones this week before heading to the U.S. Open where he is in the field thanks to occupying the top spot in the league standings. Previous: 9
7 🔺	Sepp Straka
Straka has been sensational on the PGA Tour as he notched a win at the Truist Championship and finished solo 3rd at the Memorial. The second-best iron player in the world this year (behind only Scheffler), the Austrian isn't higher on this list due to missed cuts at the Masters and the PGA Championship. With his blend of accuracy off the tee and precision into the greens, the two-time winner this season should be salivating at the chance to rectify this situation at Oakmont. Previous: NR
8 🔻	Justin Thomas
He fell onto the wrong side of the cutline at the PGA Championship only a few holes into his tournament and never recovered. Thomas then opened his Memorial with an 80 before clawing his way into the weekend. These two starts followed a strong four-tournament stretch that included runner-up results at the Valspar Championship and Truist Championship alongside his win at the RBC Heritage. There's no sugarcoating it: The driver is holding him back from competing at difficult golf courses. Previous: 7
9 🔺	Russell Henley
His play at the Memorial was nice to see as it had generally be tough sledding since his victory at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Henley has since added a pair of top 10s since slipping on Arnie's cardigan with both coming in signature events. He quietly has a strong U.S. Open record with four top 25s in his last five playings and will need more of the same if he is to stop a mini missed cut streak in majors this season. Previous: 10
10 🔺	Ben Griffin
Winning matters, and that is why Griffin has jumped from unranked to the top 10. The North Carolina product notched a win with Andrew Novak at the Zurich Classic before capturing his first individual crown at the Charles Schwab Challenge. His win in Dallas was sandwiched by a top-10 finish at the PGA Championship and runner-up result at the Memorial Tournament. Griffin is one of four multiple-time winners on the PGA Tour this season. Previous: NR
11 🔻	Collin Morikawa
The lack of winning is weighing on him. He has stated he is searching for something, but he doesn't know what exactly. Morikawa doesn't have a top-10 finish since The Players Championship as his short game continues to trend in the wrong direction, undoing his successful ball striking. This was put on display at the Memorial where a pair of poor double bogeys late in his second round saw him plummet from the first page of the leaderboard. Previous: 8
12	Tommy Fleetwood
Speaking of lack of wins. Fleetwood found himself with a golden chance to post a number early at the Charles Schwab Challenge and wait in the clubhouse, but he was unable to muster a charge on the back nine. He instead settled for a T4 finish, his third top 10 in his last five starts. The Englishman should be in or around the lead at the U.S. Open given his well-rounded game, but he will have to prove he can close as he has yet to on the PGA Tour. Previous: 12
13 🔺	Patrick Cantlay
Again with the lack of winning. Seriously, can someone not named Scheffler start getting Ws? Cantlay came to Muirfield Village off a missed cut at the PGA Championship and finished T12 for his third top 15 in his last four starts. Mired by inconsistencies on the greens this season, the former FedEx Cup champion finally found a semblance of confidence with the putter in hand. If that continues, his name will continue to occupy slots on the first page of the leaderboard. Previous: 14
14 🔺	Shane Lowry
Lowry looked like a winner at Philly Cricket Club until Straka said, "Not so fast." The Irishman hasn't won in the U.S. across roughly a decade despite his best efforts. He has a pair of runner-up results in signature events this season and a slew of top-20 finishes to go with them. His ball striking remains world class, but the must-make putts are falling by the wayside. He returns to Oakmont in two weeks where he held the 54-hole lead in 2016. Previous: 16
15 🔺	Harris English
Here's a winner this season. English is proving, when the going gets tough, his game gets going in the right direction. The Farmers Insurance Open champion finished runner up at the PGA Championship and notched a T12 at the Memorial. That is now five top 20s in his last seven tournaments -- two of which have come in major championships. Not many can say they have done that this year. Previous: NR
16 🔺	Keegan Bradley
We're all-in on Bradley calling his own number for the U.S. Ryder Cup team as this point, even if it may turn into a logistical nightmare. The American has finished inside the top 10 in back-to-back starts at the PGA Championship and the Memorial. He ranks second behind Scheffler in terms of tee-to-green play the last handful of months, and he seems to be finding his stride on the greens. Previous: NR
17 🔻	Corey Conners
Mr. Consistency. Conners has nine top-25 finishes in his last 10 starts, including top 10s at difficult venues such as Bay Hill and Augusta National. The ball striking continues to impress, and the putter continues to leave some to be desired. He heads up to the Great White North this week where he aims to become the second Canadian in the last three years to win his nation's open. Previous: 15
18 🔻	Ludvig Aberg
A bogey-free 66 early on Sunday at Jack's Place saw Åberg ascend up the leaderboard and into a share of 16th, but it has largely been uninspiring since his run at the Masters. The Swedish superstar finished outside the top 50 at the RBC Heritage and the Truist Championship before missing the cut at the PGA Championship. The iron play hasn't been great, but if that final round at Muirfield Village can serve as a kickstarter he can start kicking in the right direction in no time. Previous: 5