Scottie Scheffler Discusses Hand Injury, Remains Confident for Return

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler is back on Tour after a freak Christmas accident left him needing hand surgery. The defending FedExCup champion’s homemade ravioli adventure went sideways when a wine glass shattered in his palm.

“I had my hand on top of it and it broke. The stem kind of got me in the hand,” Scheffler said Tuesday at Pebble Beach. He’s making his season debut a month later than planned after missing the Sentry and American Express.

The injury could’ve been much worse. “I actually talked to somebody who did the exact same thing, and the stem went straight through their hand,” he said. “Immediately after it happened, I was mad at myself because I was like, Gosh, that’s so stupid. But you just don’t think about it when you’re in the moment.”

A friend helped stop the bleeding within 15 minutes, but doctors later determined surgery was necessary. Now Scheffler’s sporting just a small piece of nude tape over the area and says he’s “not at all” worried about lingering effects.

He’s been methodically testing the hand’s limits back home, practicing in cold weather and gradually increasing his ball count. “I wanted to push myself pretty hard at home to make sure I wouldn’t have a flareup here on the road,” he explained. “It continued to get better and better each day.”

This delayed start could impact his Masters prep. Scheffler typically makes at least seven starts before Augusta, but he’d only get six if he sticks to his usual schedule. “Just because I missed two, I don’t want to change the flow and cadence to my schedule,” he said. “If I feel like I want to add one to get some extra reps in, then I will.”

Rory McIlroy couldn’t resist a playful jab at his friend’s cooking mishap: “I think he made enough money to hire a chef. It’s like, Why are you cooking yourself?“

Scheffler had the perfect response: “I’ve got a chef – her name’s Meredith,” he said with a smile. “She’s pretty cute.”

The world’s top-ranked player hasn’t competed in an official Tour event since capturing the FedExCup last fall. His return adds even more star power to an already loaded field at this week’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.