Scottie Scheffler will not compete in the PGA Tour's The American Express next week, still recovering from surgery to remove broken glass from his right hand following a Christmas cooking accident.
"After consulting with my medical team, I have made the decision to withdraw from next week's American Express tournament to give my injury more time to heal. I am still hopeful to begin my 2025 season at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am," Scheffler wrote on his Instagram story.
On December 27, Scheffler's agent announced he would be withdrawing from The Sentry, the PGA Tour's season opener in Hawaii, after the hand surgery.
"On Christmas Day while preparing dinner, Scottie sustained a puncture wound to the palm of his right hand from a broken glass. Small glass fragments remained in the palm which required surgery," said Blake Smith, Scheffler's manager, in a statement.
"He has been told that he should be back to 100 percent in three to four weeks. Unfortunately, he will have to withdraw from The Sentry. His next scheduled tournament is The American Express."
However, the time frame for the recovery was three to four weeks, opening the possibility that the world No. 1 would not be fully recovered in time to play in The American Express, which is the first PGA Tour event of the year played in the mainland United States. Instead, Scheffler will now wait until the second Signature event of the year to make his 2025 debut at Pebble Beach Golf Links in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, which features an 80-player professional field that teams up with 80 amateurs for two rounds of a pro-am and a separate four-round professional tournament.
The American Express is also a multi-course tournament, with a field of 156 players taking on three different courses in the California desert, with the host being PGA West's Stadium Course designed by Pete Dye.
Scheffler won in his last start of 2024, winning the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas to cap off a nine-win campaign.
