Olympic champion and World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is expected to challenge for more major titles next year after becoming a two-time Masters winner at Augusta in 2024
Scottie Scheffler is expected to miss “three to four weeks” of golf after suffering a freak hand injury on Christmas Day.
The World No. 1 has undergone surgery after broken glass got stuck in the palm of his hand. The PGA Tour have confirmed he will miss The Sentry tournament, which is due to take place next week, and is not expected to return to action until the end of the month.
Scheffler’s injury is a worry, as the PGA Tour enters a new calendar year. The two-time major winner, 28, dominated golf in 2024, winning the Players Championship, the Masters, the Olympics, the Tour Championship and several other prestigious tournaments.
The PGA Tour confirmed: “World No 1 and 2024 FedEx Cup Champion Scottie Scheffler has withdrawn from the PGA Tour’s 2025 season-opening tournament, The Sentry, which will take place next week, 2-5 January at The Plantation Course at Kapalua in Maui, Hawaii.”
Scheffler’s manager Blake Smith added: “On Christmas Day while preparing dinner, Scottie sustained a puncture wound to the palm of his right hand from a broken glass. Small glass fragments remained in the palm which required surgery.
“He has been told that he should be back to 100 per cent in three to four weeks. Unfortunately, he will have to withdraw from The Sentry. His next scheduled tournament is The American Express (scheduled for January 16-19).”
Scheffler, a Ryder Cup winner with Team USA in 2021, has been almost unstoppable this year. He won seven PGA Tour events in 2024 – including the Arnold Palmer Invitational, RBC Heritage, Memorial Tournament and the Travelers Championship.
Scheffler also defended his Hero Wold Challenge title earlier this month to reiterate his status as the best player on the planet. He’s expected to be challenging for majors again in 2025 and will be hoping to be fully fit long before the Masters, due to be held in April.
“I feel like I’ve lived almost a full lifetime in this one year,” Scheffler told reporters after winning the Tour Championship in September. “It’s been nuts… I’m exhausted right now. There’s really no other way around it. I’m just really, really tired.”
Although Scheffler won several tournaments in 2024, many critics believe Xander Schauffele enjoyed a better season. The 31-year-old won the PGA Championship and Open Championship, thus finishing the season with more major wins in 2024 than Scheffler.
Off the course, Scheffler’s first child Bennett was born in May. Just nine days later, he was arrested and charged ahead of the second round of the PGA Championship, but all charges were dropped. Jefferson County Attorney Mike O’Connell said: “Mr Scheffler’s characterisation that this was a big misunderstanding is corroborated by the evidence.”