The new PGA Tour season hasn’t had much star power so far, and that fact can be attributed to injuries to the two best players in the world.
Scottie Scheffler injured his hand on Christmas While preparing homemade ravioli. He then had to undergo surgery, which forced him to withdraw from the season-opening event at The Sentry. Schaeffler then pulled out of American Express, leading to further concern about the company’s future global No. 1 status. He has since admitted he’s not sure if he’ll be ready for next week’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the second marquee event of the season.
“We should know within the next few days to the week if I’m going to play next week,” Scheffler said on a media call to promote the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
“But everything is on schedule, so we’ll see.”
Entries for Pebble Beach must be submitted by 5pm on Friday, so Scheffler’s fate on whether he makes his season debut at Monterey will be decided then. He has mentioned that his body feels great, and a video of him working out has been circulating on social media recently, courtesy of him Gaby Herzig The athlete.
However, delaying Scheffler’s debut — and possibly not playing next week altogether — is a stark departure from the original three-to-four week diagnosis.
Meanwhile, Xander Scheufele will not be playing in his hometown event this week for the first time in a decade — a decision that has raised many eyebrows, considering he played at The Sentry and in TGL opening match.
But according to Todd Lewis from Golf ChannelSchauffele has been suffering from a rib injury since late last year. He played through the pain at Kapalua on Maui and tied for 30th after arriving as the favorite. Schauffele is resting at home now – the odd man out in Tuesday’s TGL game for New York – and is unable to take full swings at the moment. The timeline for his return is unknown, although Schauffele remains hopeful he can play at Pebble Beach.
However, Friday’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am field edition will provide all the answers. Hopefully, Scheffler and Schauffele can play, but if not, the second marquee event of the season will lack two of the game’s biggest stars, meaning a continued slow start to the American golf season.
Jack Melko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Play Through. Follow him on X @jack_milko.
