Scottie Scheffler forced to undergo surgery after freak Christmas dinner injury

The injury has forced him out of the first tournament of the season.

World number one golfer Scottie Scheffler has had to undergo surgery after cutting the palm of his right hand on a piece of broken glass on Christmas Day.

The 28-year-old American has been forced to withdraw from the first tournament of the season, next week’s the Sentry in Hawaii.

He has been told he will recover in three to four weeks, and he hopes to be back in action at The American Express tournament in California on 16 January.

Scottie Scheffler plans to make a 100% recovery and return @TheAmExGolf.

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) December 27, 2024

Scheffler would have entered the Hawaiian tournament with wins in his last two starts—the season-ending Tour Championship and unofficial Hero World Challenge in early December.

The PGA Tour said: “World No 1 and 2024 FedEx Cup Champion Scottie Scheffler has withdrawn from the PGA Tour’s 2025 season-opening tournament, the Sentry, which will take place next week, 2-5 January at the Plantation Course at Kapalua in Maui, Hawaii.”

His manager, Blake Smith, said: “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.

“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.”

Scheffler won an Olympic gold and seven PGA Tour titles in the last year and was recently named PGA Tour's Player of the Year for a third season in a row.

In May, he was arrested by police during the US PGA Championship after he was accused of trying to drive around a traffic jam caused by a fatal accident.

Just hours later, he was released and allowed to return to Valhalla Golf Club in Kentucky to play his second round of the tournament.

Criminal charges against Scheffler were later dismissed due to a lack of evidence and a police officer who arrested him was disciplined for not having his bodycam on at the time of the incident.