Scottie Scheffler’s 2024 season was one to remember as he won a remarkable nine times, including two majors, but it was not all plain sailing for the world No. 1
Scottie Scheffler’s 2024 season wrapped up earlier this month at the Hero World Challenge, and as expected, it concluded with him hoisting another trophy. His title defence in the Bahamas, under the watchful eye of Tiger Woods, marked Scheffler’s ninth win of the year, reinforcing his position as the world’s top golfer.
However, it’s fair to say that the New Jersey native’s journey throughout 2024 hasn’t been entirely smooth sailing. The latest twist in his rollercoaster year was revealed on Friday when it was announced he would miss the first four weeks of PGA Tour competition in 2025 due to a freak accident on Christmas Day.
Rewinding to the start of the year, his first victory out of nine came at one of the PGA Tour’s most prestigious events, the Arnold Palmer Invitational. With his season now in full swing, Scheffler went on to clinch the Players championship in Florida, making history as the first back-to-back champion of the PGA Tour’s flagship event.
From there, the world No. 1 was unstoppable. A switch to a mallet putter, suggested by Rory McIlroy, seemed to rectify his only real weakness. Less than a month after his triumph at TPC Sawgrass, he was once again a two-time champion, this time at Augusta National.
Scheffler’s machine-like performance led him to a comfortable four-shot victory at the iconic Georgia course, securing his second Masters championship in three years. Despite clinching the game’s biggest prize, the world No.1 didn’t take a break and instead competed at the RBC Heritage just a week later. He won his second title in seven days after triumphing at Hilton Head.
Less than a month later, he was back on the major stage at the PGA Championship. However, this time, Scheffler made headlines for different reasons.
The golfing world was stunned when the Masters champion was arrested upon arriving at Valhalla Golf Club for his second-round tee time, following allegations that he ignored traffic instructions after an earlier accident.
Scheffler was detained by police and taken to a local station where he was held in a cell while further questions were asked. As his second-round tee time approached, he was finally released and rushed back to the Kentucky course just in time.
True to form, Scheffler responded to his brush with the law by shooting a five-under-par 66, eventually finishing the week tied for eighth place. However, three weeks later, the 28 year old claimed his third victory of the season at the Memorial, perfectly setting himself up for the upcoming U.S. Open.
Despite a less than stellar performance at Pinehurst No. 2, Scheffler bounced back just a week later to clinch victory at the Travelers, beating his close friend Tom Kim in a thrilling playoff.
His skill was put to the test by the challenging conditions of Royal Troon at The Open Championship in July, but his European journey wasn’t in vain. A fortnight later, Scheffler secured one of sport’s most sought-after accolades – an Olympic gold medal.
Despite some questioning the significance of the Olympics in men’s professional golf following its lengthy absence, Scheffler’s emotional reaction to receiving the gold medal in Paris demonstrated its importance to the world’s top players. He didn’t stop there, though, as he ended the season on a high note by winning the Tour Championship and the FedEx Cup for the first time.
His triumphant return in December at the Hero was followed by more success, but the month ended on a disappointing note. Earlier this week, Scheffler’s manager Blake Smith revealed that the world’s number one golfer suffered an injury on Christmas Day when a piece of glass became lodged in his hand.
This will cause him to miss the start of the 2025 PGA Tour campaign, but there’s no doubt he’ll be eager to add more silverware to his collection upon his return.