MLB superstar Shohei Ohtani has continued to receive accolades since his MLB debut in 2018. The Los Angeles Angels-turned-Dodgers star’s accomplishments are so remarkable, he’s catching up with golf great Tiger Woods in at least one area.
Ohtani received a new Associated Press award this week, tying Woods’ record as he beat current golf world champion Scotty Scheffler.
Here’s what you should know.
Ohtani passes Scotty Scheffler for AP Male Athlete of the Year award
During the 2025 MLB season, Ohtani won his fourth MVP award. It’s the third straight year he’s won Major League Baseball’s top honor, the last two years coming as a Dodger.
In his two years with the Dodgers, Ohtani justified his massive contract, which earned him the highest AAV salary in professional sports, by winning back-to-back World Series.
At just 31 years old, he’s already talking to other all-time greats in the sport, such as Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky and, of course, Woods.
On Tuesday, Ohtani received the 2025 Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year award. This is the fourth time he has received this honor, tying the record for most wins.
Woods, LeBron James and Lance Armstrong are the only athletes to win the Male Athlete of the Year award four times in their careers.
According to the Associated Press, Ohtani received 29 of 47 votes from AP sports reporters and won his second consecutive Athlete of the Year award.
A professional golfer also received votes in the poll, but far fewer than the winner.
Scheffler is the No. 1 player in the Official World Golf Ranking, earning two votes for two major wins in 2025. That’s the same number of votes that 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 don’t rank near the top when female athletes are included.
That honor went to another golfer, Babe Didrikson Zaharias, who won the award six times during her illustrious career.
