PEBBLE BEACH, CALIFORNIA | The sun was beginning its slow drift down Tuesday afternoon, adding a chill to the air as Scottie Scheffler went about his business on the practice tee at Pebble Beach Golf Links.
Scheffler would launch another ball into the distance, watch it turn softly to the left, study the numbers of the launch monitor sitting nearby then wipe down the club, sometimes using the little wire brush clipped to a belt loop, then repeat the process.
Every few swings, Scheffler would change clubs, engage in some small talk with the people gathered around his golf bag, then get back to it, gradually peeling two long dirt paths into the emerald green turf.
The small piece of tape covering the injury he suffered to his right hand on Christmas Day wasn’t visible and Scheffler said there are no lingering effects other than postponing his 2025 debut to this week.
As for the injury heard ’round the golf world, here’s what happened and, fair warning, it might produce a cringe.
Scheffler and his family were making homemade ravioli in a rental house during a holiday getaway. Without a proper tool to cut the pasta, Scheffler turned a wine glass upside down to do the job. When he pushed on the bottom of the glass, the stem broke and the jagged remains punctured his hand, just below his middle finger.
“I’ve heard nothing but horror stories since this happened about wine glasses, so be careful. Even if you’re like me and you don’t drink wine, you’ve got to be real careful with wine glasses,” Scheffler said.
A surgeon friend was with Scheffler and stopped the bleeding but Scheffler knew something wasn’t right.
“I knew I kind of messed something up just because the way my hand wasn’t really moving much and if I did, it hurt pretty bad. So I kind of knew something was up,” Scheffler said.
When he got back to Dallas, Scheffler had a minor surgical procedure and all was good again with no long-term effects.
It has been nearly five months since Scheffler won the FedEx Cup at East Lake and the only events he has played since have been the Presidents Cup, a televised match with McIlroy against Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka and the Hero World Challenge in December. Win, win, win.
Told that Rory McIlroy suggested Scheffler has won enough money to afford a chef, he didn’t miss a beat.
“I’ve got a chef, her name’s Meredith (his wife). She’s pretty cute,” Scheffler said smiling.
It has been nearly five months since Scheffler won the FedEx Cup at East Lake and the only events he has played since have been the Presidents Cup, a televised match with McIlroy against Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka and the Hero World Challenge in December.
Win, win, win.
That’s 11 wins in 2024, seven official PGA Tour victories, the gold medal in Paris and his three others. Little wonder all eyes will be on Scheffler when he tees it up Thursday morning in the second signature event of the new season.
McIlroy marvels at what Scheffler has done.
“This is anyone, this is Tiger, this is in the history of golf. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a golfer play as many bogey-free rounds as Scottie. He just doesn’t make mistakes. It’s so impressive. He plays the right shot at the right time over and over and over again,” McIlroy said.
Other than his extended break – Scheffler traditionally plays the Sentry at Kapalua and the American Express to gauge his readiness for the season – there is no reason to expect Scheffler to suddenly develop a case of mediocrity.
The most noticeable change is the possibility Scheffler will add a tournament he doesn’t typically play sometime in early spring, though he didn’t offer any specifics.
His success has been built on hard work, an abundance of athletic talent and a resolute belief in himself. None of those things have changed.
Unable to practice or work out for a time after the injury, Scheffler watched replays of his play last year, focusing not on the finishes but more often on how he got himself into a position to win. If it’s possible to study patience, that’s what Scheffler does.
He studied how he looked and the shots he hit. No commentary. No other players. A clinical evaluation of his holistic approach to golf.
“There’s a few tournaments I looked back at where the thing that stuck out the most was that I never really overreacted to stuff, I kind of stayed in it and kind of waited for my moment to get hot. Sometimes I got hot, was able to get up the leaderboard and win. Other times I didn’t and I still had a decent finish,” Scheffler said.
“You look at Players (which Scheffler won) as an example, maybe the Olympics as one where you’re able to come from behind. Sometimes the little things go your way and sometimes they don’t.” – Scottie Scheffler
After being cleared by doctors to go full speed, Scheffler spent last week grinding in the cold at home in Dallas. Every day his hand improved and he spent his first two days on the Monterey Peninsula playing Cypress Point with his caddie Ted Scott then making a basket of birdies in a Tuesday practice round with his buddy Sam Burns at Pebble Beach.
Scheffler has won the PGA Tour’s player of the year trophy the past three years, steadily stretching the margin between himself and everyone else. The difference in 2023 when Scheffler won three times (counting the Hero World Challenge) and last year came down to Scheffler rarely making mistakes and playing his best at critical moments like the closing 29 he shot to win the gold medal.
“Sometimes those little breaks fall your way where the guys at the top struggle and I’m able to kind of get into the tournament. You look at Players (which Scheffler won) as an example, maybe the Olympics as one where you’re able to come from behind. Sometimes the little things go your way and sometimes they don’t,” Scheffler said.
Grinding away late on a Tuesday afternoon, surrounded by the splendor of the Monterey Peninsula, Scheffler was intent on leaving as little as possible to chance.