Golf superlatives 2024: Scottie Scheffler's emotional Olympic gold to Bryson DeChambeau's insane U.S. Open win

Golf seasons are long, which means many of us have probably forgotten everything that happened along the way. Remember who won The Sentry? Remember who finished second and third at that event? I bet you don't. Here's a refresher.

1. Chris Kirk: -29
2. Sahith Theegala: -28
3. Jordan Spieth: -27

Wait, Chris Kirk and Jordan Spieth? That feels like eight years ago -- not eight months ago.

Exactly.

That's why we're here to look back on the 2024 PGA Tour (and major championship) season, hand out some awards and share some superlatives. After all, the yearbook is closed on the campaign with only the Presidents Cup, a couple LIV Golf events and FedEx Cup Fall still to be played over the remainder of the year. So come along for the ride we we discuss the most interesting and most absurd moments of what was truly a season unlike any other before it in golf history.

Starting at the top ...

PGA Tour Player of the Year

Scottie Scheffler: It's not particularly close. Though he was not the best major championship player, he was the best overall golfer for eight consecutive months. The numbers completely overwhelm everything everyone else, including Xander Schauffele, did in 2024. Here are two to consider

Strokes gained per round since Jan. 1

• Scottie Scheffler: 3.15
• Xander Schauffele: 2.72

Think about what this means. Schauffele won two majors and put up a total of 16 top 10 finishes, and yet it was Scheffler who was almost two shots better than him per tournament. That is astounding.

Total worldwide individual wins since Jan 1

• Scottie Scheffler: 8
• Xander Schauffele, Rory McIlroy, Collin Morikawa, Ludvig Åberg, Russell Henley, Adam Scott, Patrick Cantlay, Sam Burns, Tony Finau, Justin Thomas, Sahith Theegala, Jordan Spieth, Viktor Hovland, Jason Day, Cam Smith, Brian Harman, Cam Young, Patrick Reed, Tom Kim, Matt Fitzpatrick, Will Zalatoris, Max Homa, Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka combined : 8

That's what being the best player of the year looks like.

Best tournament

U.S. Open: This one is not close, either. It featured a tremendous venue, a great week of golf and one of the best finishes in recent memory. The last two hours was about as much tension as I've felt on a golf course in a long time. So many different variations of high-profile players' legacies hung in the balance for such a long time, and it concluded with total heartbreak on one side and one of the best major shots ever on the other.

Weirdest moment

Scottie Scheffler arrested at Valhalla: It was the strangest thing that many of us have ever covered in golf. I will never forget waking up in a Louisville hotel room, opening my computer and staring at this tweet from ESPN's Jeff Darlington for as long as I have ever stared at a tweet. What a shocking, bizarre, insane thing to happen to the best player in the world during a major championship.

And Scheffler may have given the quote of the year in the aftermath. That afternoon, after he went out and shot 66 in the second round of the PGA Championship, Scottie acknowledged that he did his warm-up routine for his round that morning in a jail cell. What a wild day of golf.

Most joyful win(s)

Peter Malnati wins Valspar Championship; Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry win Zurich Classic; Robert MacIntyre wins Scottish Open: This was a three-way tie. Malnati weeping in the aftermath of winning a Tour event in his mid-30s was awesome, one of the great moments of 2024.

But so was Lowry and McIlroy playing and winning the Zurich Classic before singing "Don't Stop Believing" in full golf attire afterward. Two Irish boys basking in a life they cannot believe they get to lead.

Not to be outdone, MacIntyre won his home open the year after McIlroy broke his heart with a birdie-birdie finish to take the tournament. Three of my favorite moments of the 2024 season.

Breakout player

Nick Dunlap: There are so many different directions to go with this award, but I can't stop staring at the following numbers: 4,121 and 35. The first is what Dunlap was ranked in the Official World Golf Rankings to start 2024. The second is what he is ranked eight months later. That is a stunning jump that included a win at the American Express as an amateur, the decision to turn pro and another victory at the Barracuda Championship as a professional. It has been a whirlwind for somebody who should have just finished his sophomore year at Alabama.

Weirdest ending

72nd hole at the Travelers Championship: How about when protestors ran on the green at the Travelers and play had to be stopped so the grounds crew could repair the green before three of the best players in the world putted on the final hole of a tournament with a purse of $20 million? Is that weird enough for you?

Coolest moment

Scheffler wins Olympic gold: There were so many of them -- I would throw Bryson DeChambeau's entire U.S. Open week, any number of Scheffler victories, Chris Kirk's emotional win, or even Hideki Matsuyama's final round 62 to win the Genesis Invitational into the conversation -- but one stood out. It was Scheffler taking the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics and breaking down on the medal stand . I'm not the biggest golf-in-the-Olympics guy, but that was a real moment and a nice window into the heart of the best golfer on the planet.

Best major golfer

Xander Schauffele: Here's where Schauffele comes back into play. His performance at the majors was totally underrated as he put together literally one of the great major championship seasons in golf history. His major year marked just the ninth time a player has finished in the top 10 in all four and won two of them in the Masters era. The other eight are occupied by Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth. Decent company for Schauffele.

It's amazing for Scheffler that what Schauffele accomplished did not overshadow Scheffler's incredible season. Hopefully neither gets lost when we think about what happened during the 2024 golf season.