Scheffler Eyes PGA Tour Return After Surgery for Hand Injury

World number one golfer Scottie Scheffler is nearing a return to the PGA Tour after undergoing surgery for a freak hand injury sustained while cooking on Christmas Day.

World number one Scottie Scheffler provided an update on his recovery from a freak hand injury sustained while cooking on Christmas. The 27-year-old golfer revealed that he is nearing a return to the PGA Tour but is hesitant to commit to a specific comeback date. “Just want to make sure I'm getting back to normal, progressing the right way in recovery,” Scheffler explained during a press conference in Florida, with his remarks posted on the PGA Tour website.

Scheffler emphasized his eagerness to return to competitive golf but stressed the importance of not rushing his recovery. “I'm definitely anxious to get back, excited to get back but I'm also not going to rush back just to rush back,” he cautioned. This measured approach indicates that Scheffler is prioritizing his long-term health and readiness over a swift return to the golf course.

Scottie Scheffler revealed the unusual circumstances surrounding his hand injury, which occurred on Christmas Day while helping prepare ravioli. He punctured his right palm, requiring surgery to remove glass fragments. As a result, Scheffler missed the season-opening Sentry tournament in Hawaii and the American Express in California. However, he may launch his season at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am next week. Feeling good, everything went well with the surgery,” Scheffler said. “Body feels pretty good. Still making decisions on schedule going forward. Should know next few days to a week whether I'll be playing next week. Everything's on schedule.”

Scheffler is coming off an incredible season, having won seven tournaments on the PGA Tour, a feat last achieved by Tiger Woods in 2007. He was voted the PGA Tour Player of the Year for the third consecutive year and enjoyed numerous highlights, including his second Masters green jacket, Paris Olympic gold, the PGA Tour's season-ending Tour Championship and FedEx Cup playoffs, and The Players Championship in 2024.

🚨⛑️⛳️ UPDATE — World #1 Scottie Scheffler says he’s still unsure if he will be able to play the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am, revealing on a conference call today that his injury stemmed from making ravioli on Christmas Day. Scheffler says recovery has been going well and things are… pic.twitter.com/TL3S3v0qMT

— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) January 21, 2025

During his recovery, Scheffler was unable to hit balls and had limited gym workouts. To stay connected to golf, he watched film of old tournaments “to remind my brain what I was feeling over certain shots, what my hands felt like on the club, stuff like that, so I wasn't totally checking out from golf.” Scheffler's injury also had an impact on his daily life, particularly when it came to caring for his son Bennett. He joked about being “useless” when changing diapers one-handed and even struggled with everyday tasks like brushing his teeth. “Sometimes you don't realize how uncoordinated you are until you have to brush your teeth left-handed,” he said.