Scottie Scheffler Battles Injury, Bounces Back with Ruthless Dominance on PGA Tour
At the start of the 2025 PGA Tour season, fans were met with an unexpected headline: World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler suffered a hand injury—caused not on the course, but in the kitchen. While preparing ravioli for Christmas dinner, a shard of glass left him sidelined. As a result, he missed the first four events of the year and got off to a slow start when he returned.
In his first five appearances after recovery, Scheffler only managed one top-five finish—at the Genesis Invitational—far below the standards he set in his dominant 2024 campaign, where he captured seven wins. However, it didn’t take long for the American golfer to shake off the rust. Over his next seven events, he secured six top-five finishes, including three victories.
One of those triumphs came at the prestigious Memorial Tournament hosted by Jack Nicklaus. With that win, Scheffler earned his 16th PGA Tour title—and his third win in just four recent outings. He now joins Rory McIlroy as the only players with three wins in 2025, with Ben Griffin trailing as the only other golfer to secure more than one.
This victory also marked Scheffler’s third successful title defense on the Tour, having previously defended wins at the WM Phoenix Open (2022–23) and THE PLAYERS Championship (2023–24). Only Phil Mickelson (5) and Tiger Woods (23) have more title defenses in the past 30 years, placing Scheffler in elite company. He’s also the first to win back-to-back Memorial Tournaments since Tiger’s historic three-peat from 1999 to 2001.
If Scottie Scheffler closes out this win, he will have 3 successful title defenses on the PGA Tour (Phoenix, Sawgrass, Muirfield Village).
Over the last 30 years, only 2 players will have had more
Phil Mickelson, 5
Tiger Woods, 23— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf) June 1, 2025
Statistically, Scheffler’s current form is breathtaking. Since his breakthrough win in 2022 at the WM Phoenix Open, he’s competed in 72 events and won 16—an astonishing 22.2% win rate, slightly ahead of Tiger Woods’s career win percentage of 21.7%. He’s also recorded 51 top-10 finishes and 62 top-25s in that span, failing to make the top 25 just ten times since early 2022.
Ben Griffin, who finished second to Scheffler at the Memorial, captured the mood best. “We’re living in a little bit of a Tiger era with Scottie,” he said. “He’s so dominant… it can be the hardest holes in golf, and he’s going to find a way to have a birdie look.”
At Muirfield Village, Scheffler posted rounds of 70, 70, 68, and 70—nothing flashy, just consistent excellence. Griffin had led after two rounds at seven-under-par, but Scheffler’s relentless precision and calm execution over the weekend sealed the win with a four-stroke lead.
As the 2025 season progresses, the question looms: can Scheffler surpass his seven-win total from last year? With the way he’s playing, the answer might not just be yes—it might be inevitable.