Scottie Scheffler was recently named PGA TOUR Player of the Year for a third straight year after one of the greatest seasons in golf history. His candidacy for a fourth consecutive award has been delayed by an unexpected injury to his right hand, however.
“On Christmas Day while preparing dinner, Scottie sustained a puncture wound to the palm of his right hand from a broken glass,” Scheffler’s manager, Blake Smith, said in a statement released Friday. “Small glass fragments remained in the palm which required surgery. He has been told that he should be back to 100% in three to four weeks. Unfortunately, he will have to withdraw from The Sentry. His next scheduled tournament is The American Express.”
The Sentry, the opening event of the 2025 PGA TOUR season, will be played Jan. 2-5 from Maui’s Kapalua Resort in Hawaii. The following week’s Sony Open in Hawaii comprises the second half of the TOUR’s Opening Drive, the two-week stretch that starts the season. The American Express, the year’s first stop on the U.S. mainland, is scheduled for Jan. 16-19 in La Quinta, California.
Scheffler is coming off a year in which he won nine times worldwide, including seven PGA TOUR titles. He won for a second time at both the Masters and THE PLAYERS, earned an Olympic gold medal and capped his 2024 season with a victory at the TOUR Championship to earn his first FedExCup. He also won four Signature Events (Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, RBC Heritage, the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday and Travelers Championship).
Scheffler is the first player since Tiger Woods (2005-07) to win PGA TOUR Player of the Year in three consecutive years.
After going 3-2-0 in the United States’ Presidents Cup victory this fall, Scheffler’s success continued into December with his six-shot win at Tiger Woods’ Hero World Challenge. Scheffler debuted a new “claw” putting grip that week and used it successfully on putts inside 15 feet. He finished third in Strokes Gained: Putting that week, routing the field with a Sunday 63.
He also was the world No. 1 for every week of 2024, becoming the first player since Tiger Woods in 2009 to hold the top spot for an entire year. “I think it’s been a great year, it’s been a fun year,” Scheffler said after his Hero win. The start of his new year will have to wait, however.
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