There was always a “but” at the beginning of the PGA Tour season when it came to Scotty Scheffler. He’s a great young player, but he hasn’t won yet. He’s number one in the world, but he didn’t win during the summer. He’s hitting the ball with a historic record, but his putting may be historically bad. He is the best player in the world, but he is not at 100% due to injuries.
Despite these “buts,” Schaeffler produced jaw-dropping moments and head-turning victories. Let your mind wander and imagine what happens when “but” becomes “and” instead.
Scheffler enters the 2022 PGA Tour season without a win. Although some questioned his shutout ability, no one expected him to begin this success. By the start of 2023, Scheffler had four wins and climbed to No. 1 in the world rankings. This despite not being in the winner’s circle since donning the green jacket in April.
That same year, he won two more games without using a cooperative putter, which prevented the generational ball striker from being considered a generational player. In addition, wins in February and March left him once again absent from the main part of the field’s schedule.
Scheffler entered 2024 ranked 162nd out of 193 players on the PGA Tour in strokes gained putts. Scheffler added a new mallet putter to his rotation for his sixth start of the season, hoping to give himself a chance amid the intense competition. No matter the outcome, he vowed to keep it in his bag for all four days of the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Well, Scheffler won that tournament by five strokes. The putter hasn’t been out of the bag since.
Scheffler’s 2024 season was more than historic. He won his second Masters, six other PGA Tour wins, and a gold medal at the Paris Olympics. Despite the praise, praise and lofty comparisons, Scheffler still believed he could improve.
He once again put his new method to the test on the green. It was to use a claw-style putting grip from inside about 15 feet to repair some struggles from close range. He debuted his new process at the Hero World Challenge, winning by six strokes and letting the golf world know, “Yes, he can be even better.”
Scheffler’s win in the Bahamas came less than a month after news of his offseason accident broke. While cooking with friends and family over the holidays, he injured his hand when he improperly used a wine glass while rolling out ravioli dough. Scheffler was forced to miss not only his play, but also his preparation.
“It’s made it a little easier. I’m going to continue to do this. It’s been a little easier offseason than last year,” Scheffler said Sunday after winning the American Express, his 20th PGA Tour win. “It’s one of those things. If you look at last year, you just made what you felt were big strides in the offseason and then you basically lost that by being out of golf for four to six weeks. It’s having an effect.”
“It takes a lot of work to fine-tune the skills we have here. Just like chipping, there’s a big difference between hitting a chip to 1 foot and hitting it to 5 feet. If you hit it to 1 foot, you probably won’t miss that foot putt. But if you hit it to 5 feet, you’ll make that putt. So, being able to do everything in the offseason to prepare for coming here and having time to prepare and get my body and mind ready for the game really paid off early in the season.”
Scheffler’s preparation is one of his many breaks, but it doesn’t get as much attention as what he accomplishes over 72 holes almost every week. His preparation isn’t as breathtaking as his iron play or as funky as his footwork. There is no noticeable improvement like his putting, and no measurable improvement like his strokes gained.
But what Scheffler puts his hat on is preparation.
Whether it’s avoiding comparisons to Tiger Woods or Jack Nicklaus, who recently joined the ranks as the only players to win 20 PGA Tour titles and four major championships by the age of 30, or answering different variations of the same question, Scheffler is beating the same drum over and over again, wondering how this win feels in contrast to others. prepare, prepare, prepare.
Once Scheffler was ready to come back week after week from last year’s injury, he must have felt unstoppable. He won six of the last 12 tournaments in 2025, including major victories at the PGA Championship and the British Open. It’s his first tournament in about 11 months since The Players Championship last March, and he hasn’t finished outside of the top 10.
With this year just around the corner (and I’m not kidding), Scheffler has spent the past offseason in the gym, preparing for the long, grueling PGA Tour tournament. The area he wanted to improve this time around wasn’t his skill set, but rather his overall endurance. This is also a characteristic that is invisible to the audience.
Through one tournament, well, so far so good.
Scheffler was able to prepare for this offseason, hone his technique, identify his constant pain points and work on improving, which has resulted in him answering every time the bell rings.
Scheffler is a great player and He continues to exit tournaments when there is contention. Schaeffler is No.1 in the world, and He heads into the new season riding the momentum from last summer. Scheffler’s ball-striking was historic; and His putting is among the best in the game.
Schaeffler is the most dominant player in the world, and Now, he’s 100% healthy to start the season.
