Scottie Scheffler was all set to kick off 2025 the same way he dominated 2024—winning The Masters, The Players Championship, and snagging nine titles like it was no big deal. But of course, life had other plans, and in Scheffler’s case, those plans took a detour thanks to a shard of glass.

Yes, on Christmas Day, while getting dinner ready, Scheffler ended up cutting the palm of his right hand on broken glass. Ouch. It was bad enough to need minor surgery to remove some leftover fragments, which means he’s had to pull out of The Sentry next week. Not exactly the festive season he had in mind.

According to his manager, Blake Smith, things are looking positive for a full recovery. Smith explained, “Small glass fragments remained in the palm which required surgery. He has been told that he should be back to 100% in three to four weeks. Unfortunately, he will have to withdraw from The Sentry. His next scheduled tournament is The American Express.”

So, what’s next for Scheffler’s hand? Medical experts say injuries like this are pretty manageable as long as there’s no infection. The body knows what to do: first, it stops the bleeding by forming blood clots that turn into a protective scab. Easy right?

Next, the immune system gets to work. White blood cells rush in to keep germs out, while oxygen and nutrients arrive to start the repair job. It’s normal for the area to get a bit red, swollen, and tender during this stage. You might even see some clear fluid oozing out—not the prettiest sight, but that’s just your body doing its thing to clean the wound.

After a week or two, new tissue starts growing, and the wound edges begin to close. If Scheffler’s hand feels itchy, that’s a good sign it’s healing. Once the scab falls off, the skin underneath might look a little shiny and stretched, but it’ll strengthen soon enough.

Scars can take their time to fully fade—sometimes years—but in terms of function, his hand should be ready to go well before that. The real test will be whether he can comfortably grip a club at The American Express on January 16, but all signs point to him being good to go.

So, while it’s a bummer, we won’t see him at The Sentry. It sounds like this is just a minor setback for Scheffler. Now, Scheffler’s probably learned his lesson and will maybe leave the glassware alone next Christmas.

Scottie Scheffler’s season was a rollercoaster of highs and lows

When you think of Scheffler’s season, you probably would think of the staggering money he made, the trophies he took home, and the biggest win of all—becoming a dad to his son, Bennett, in 2024. Honestly, it felt like the guy could do no wrong.

But let’s not pretend it was all smooth sailing. Scheffler’s year wasn’t just about dominating on the course; it had its fair share of drama. Remember the US PGA Championship? Yeah, that’s the one where he ended up warming up for the second round… in a jail cell.

So what happened was, on his way to Valhalla Golf Club, Scheffler decided to take a shortcut and bypass traffic controls outside the course—an area locked down after a tragic incident where a man was struck and killed by a shuttle bus just 45 minutes earlier. Detective Bryan Gillis wasn’t having it, he stopped Scheffler’s car, and, well, the next thing you know, the World No. 1 was handcuffed and detained.

Scheffler later called it “a big misunderstanding,” and to be fair, he was released by 8:40 a.m., giving him just enough time to make his 10:08 a.m. tee time. Talk about staying cool under pressure!

After that, the big blow was when he cut his hand and had to withdraw from the season-opening event. Now that really hurts. But here’s the thing: Scheffler’s grip on the World No. 1 ranking isn’t going anywhere. Sure, he’ll miss The Sentry, where he tied for T5 this year, and The American Express, where he finished T17 in 2024, will be his next chance to tee it up. But even with this early setback, Scheffler’s consistency and knack for bouncing back are hard to match.

So, while his year has had a few ups and downs, one thing’s clear: Scheffler knows exactly how to get back to the top.