Scottie Scheffler primed to quell any lingering doubts over his dominance after full offseason of preparation

Scheffler picked up in 2026 where he left off in 2025 by standing atop the field after his first tournament of the season

There have always been "buts" when it comes to Scottie Scheffler at the start of his PGA Tour seasons: He's a great young player, but he hasn't won yet. He's the world No. 1, but he didn't win during the summer. He's striking the ball at a historic clip, but his putting may be historically bad. He is the best player in the world, but he is less than 100% following an injury.

Despite these "buts," Scheffler produced jaw-dropping moments and head-turning victories, so let your mind wander and instead imagine what happens when the "buts" become "ands."

In 2022, Scheffler entered the PGA Tour season without a win to his name. As some questioned his ability to close, no one expected he would kick off this run of success. By the time 2023 rolled around, Scheffler had ascended to the world No. 1 ranking thanks to a four-victory campaign; this despite not entering the winner's circle since slipping on the green jacket that prior April. 

He picked up two more wins that year without a cooperative putter, which kept a generational ball striker from being considered a generational player. Plus, as his wins came in February and March, he again left the meat of the schedule for the field.

Scheffler entered 2024 ranked 162nd out of 193 players on the PGA Tour in strokes gained putting. Scheffler put a new mallet-style putter in rotation during his sixth start of the season, thinking he would give it a chance in the heat of the battle. No matter how he fared, he promised to keep it in the bag all four days at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.