MLB great Shohei Ohtani has been piling up accolades ever since his MLB debut in 2018. The Los Angeles Angels-turned-Dodgers’ star’s achievements have been so exceptional, he’s catching up to golf great Tiger Woods in at least one area.
With a new AP award recognition this week, Ohtani tied a record held in part by Woods, and he did it by beating out current golf world-beater Scottie Scheffler.
Here’s what you should know.
Ohtani tops Scottie Scheffler for AP Male Athlete of the Year
In the 2025 MLB season, Ohtani won his fourth MVP award. It was the third-straight year he earned the MLB’s top honor, with the final two coming as Dodger.
In two years with the Dodgers, Ohtani has justified his mega contract, which gave him the highest AAV salary in professional sports, by winning back-to-back World Series titles.
Still only 31, he’s already in the conversation with all-time greats from other sports, such as Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky and, of course, Woods.
On Tuesday, Ohtani won the 2025 Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year award. It was his fourth time receiving that honor, which ties the record for most wins.
Woods, Lebron James and Lance Armstrong are the only other sportsmen to have won the Male Athlete of the Year award four times in their careers.
According to the AP, Ohtani earned his second-straight Athlete of the Year award by receiving 29 of 47 votes from AP sports journalists.
One pro golfer also received votes on the ballot, though far fewer than the winner.
Scheffler, the No. 1-ranked player in the Official World Golf Ranking, earned two votes for his two major wins in 2025. That’s the same number of votes 2025 NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander received.
Interestingly, while Ohtani, Woods, Armstrong and James have won the most Male Athlete of the Year awards, they do not the top the list when female athletes are included.
The distinction goes to another golfer, Babe Didrikson Zaharias, who won the award six times in her illustrious career.
