DALLAS (AP) — Scottie Scheffler stepped down from The American Express on Monday, saying his right-hand man has not fully recovered minor surgery to repair a punctured glass over Christmas.
Scheffler, the world No. 1, injured his hand while preparing Christmas dinner, forcing him to miss the start of the PGA Tour season at the Sentry in Hawaii.
The American Express in Palm Desert, California, is scheduled for January 16-19.
“After consulting with my medical team, I have made the decision to withdraw from next week’s American Express tournament to give my injury more time to heal,” Scheffler said in an Instagram post.
He remained hopeful of starting his year at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, a marquee event that begins Jan. 30.
Scheffler is coming off a breakout season in which he won the Masters and Olympic gold, the Players Championship and the FedEx Cup among his nine world titles. He won the PGA Tour Player of the Year award and became the first player since Tiger Woods in 2009 to hold the No. 1 ranking for the entire calendar year.
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