Scottie Scheffler seeks to regain form ahead of the Masters

Scottie Scheffler arrived this season with the kind of momentum that makes rivals take notice: a desert victory at The American Express and the confidence of being the sport’s top-ranked player. But since that win, the 27-year-old has been grappling with uneven form, stringing together flashes of brilliance and stretches of puzzling struggle that have left analysts and fans asking when — not if — his game will click again.

At several high-profile stops on the PGA Tour Scheffler has shown the resilience that built his résumé, rallying late to post respectable finishes. Yet the more nagging story is how a once nearly automatic short game and typically reliable driving have shown vulnerability. With Augusta National looming, the search for rhythm has taken on a new urgency for the world’s best player.

From a Palm Springs victory to inconsistent results: tracking Scheffler’s season

Scheffler’s early-season win near Palm Springs set high expectations. After that triumph he stayed on the West Coast and produced solid showings — a tie for third at the WM Phoenix Open and a tie for fourth at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am — but both required late surges after shaky openings.

• The American Express: victory and momentum
• WM Phoenix Open: recovered to finish tied for third
• Pebble Beach Pro-Am: rallied into a top-five result
• Genesis Invitational and The Players: mixed performances and come-from-behind weekends

Those recovery rounds are impressive on their own, but they also masked a string of early-round issues: rain delays, trouble off the tee and a short game that hasn’t matched his peak form. At the Genesis Invitational, for example, a rain-interrupted opening round put Scheffler behind early; he climbed back to tie for 12th, but the shaky start raised questions about underlying swing mechanics.

How Sawgrass unfolded: a roller-coaster week at The Players Championship

At TPC Sawgrass the pattern repeated. Scheffler posted an even-par opening round and was just above par at the midway mark. Then on Saturday he produced a sharp third round — a 5-under 67 — that vaulted him up the leaderboard by 25 spots and into a tie for 26th. Despite the upward move, he still began the final day well off the lead, leaving a win out of reach without an extraordinary finish.

Scheffler downplayed the idea that he was lost, describing his approach as seeking feel rather than making wholesale changes. He said short sessions on the range or a bit of rest sometimes puts things back on track. Still, the visible adjustments — a slightly abbreviated driver takeaway and occasional steering of tee shots — have been enough to keep the scrutiny intense.

What’s bugging the swing: driver mechanics and wedge touch

Coaches and commentators have pointed to two recurring areas that have cost Scheffler strokes this spring: his driver and his wedges. The problems are subtle — not catastrophic — but they show up on shots that usually define his advantage over the field.

Driver tendencies

• Shortened backswing with the driver, reducing potential power and altering launch angles.
• Tendency to “steer” drives rather than letting the clubhead run through, which affects dispersion.
• Inconsistent ball-striking off the tee leading to conservative positioning into greens.

Wedge and short game concerns

• Less reliable feel around the greens, causing missed up-and-down opportunities.
• Touch that has fluctuated, leaving par-saving chances more difficult than usual.
• Reliance on practice feel: Scheffler says when he “feels the clubhead,” his scoring becomes easier.

Fixes could be as much mental and tempo-oriented as technical. Scheffler himself emphasized that he’s not trying to reinvent his swing; rather, he’s hunting for the right sensations — the feel of the clubhead and the tempo that allows him to shape shots and recover when things go sideways.

Rivals facing similar questions as Augusta approaches

Scheffler isn’t the only elite player dealing with form and fitness on the lead-up to the Masters. Rory McIlroy, the world No. 2 and reigning Masters contender, arrived at The Players hampered by a back issue, skipping a practice round and ultimately sliding down the leaderboard to a tie for 57th. Colin Morikawa, fresh off a Pebble Beach victory, withdrew from The Players with his own back concerns.

These developments suggest a broader theme on tour: players are pushing for more club-head speed and greater control, sometimes at the expense of durability. With less than a month before Augusta, those managing aches and modifications will be under pressure to have both body and swing in championship shape.

Why Scheffler still looms as a major threat

Despite the uneven spell, Scheffler’s record keeps him among the favorites for any big event. His résumé already includes more than 20 PGA Tour wins and multiple major championships, including the PGA Championship and the Open Championship. That history of rising to the moment is why observers treat his current struggles as pause not panic.

Scheffler has framed his recent weeks as a test of attitude and commitment rather than a crisis. He values the process — practice, rest and finding feel — and views steady shot-making as the metric of progress. With the Masters approaching, if he can regain a more confident driver swing and sharpen his wedge play, the talk will quickly shift back to a potential third Green Jacket.

What to watch before the Masters: specific indicators of a turn-around

• Driving distance and dispersion: are tee shots traveling farther and landing tighter?
• Proximity to hole with wedges: are approach shots and chips consistently inside birdie range?
• Short-game conversions: is the success rate on up-and-downs trending upward?
• Physical management: are back and body maintenance routines keeping players pain-free?

With the calendar tightening, every practice session and early-round at a tune-up event will be scrutinized. For Scheffler, the immediate goal isn’t to match his best all at once but to rebuild the components that make him elite: confidence off the tee, reliable wedge work, and the steely resilience that has carried him to the top of the game.

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John Davis

John Davis is a sports journalist focused on the NBA, NFL, and major global championships. With seven years of live coverage, he breaks down performances and key strategies. His expertise gives you a clear view of every game and its impact.