Scottie Scheffler skips the American Express, heading back to Pebble Beach

World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler has withdrawn from next week’s American Express to give his injured right hand a few weeks to heal, he announced on his Instagram account.

The two-time Masters champion said he hopes to return to the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, which will be played Jan. 30-Feb. 2 in Pebble Beach, California.

“After consulting with my medical team, I have decided to withdraw from next week’s American Express tournament to give my injury more time to recover,” Scheffler wrote on Instagram. “I still hope to start my 2025 season at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.”

Scheffler punctured the palm of his right hand while cooking dinner on Christmas Day and underwent surgery to remove shards of glass, according to his manager, Blake Smith. Scheffler was expected to miss three to four weeks, Smith said.

The 28-year-old missed the season opener of the 2025 PGA Tour, the Sentry, which was won by Hideki Matsuyama in Kapalua, Hawaii. Scheffler was not scheduled to play in this week’s Sony Open in Hawaii or the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines in La Jolla, California, on Jan. 22-25.

Scheffler is the reigning PGA Tour Player of the Year and FedEx Cup champion after winning seven times in 2024. He was the first golfer since Tiger Woods in 2007 to hold seven victories on tour. His nine global wins include a second green jacket at the Masters, a gold medal at the Paris Olympics and a second consecutive victory at the Hero World Challenge, an unofficial event in the Bahamas in December.