Scottie Scheffler is still one of the most formidable forces in golf, but something seems… off. The reigning world No. 1 is on track for yet another top-10 finish in 2025, yet his performances no longer carry the aura of inevitability they did in 2024.
At the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, his ninth-place finish felt almost disappointing—an unthinkable sentiment just a year ago. And now, at the WM Phoenix Open, Scheffler finds himself eight shots adrift of Thomas Detry heading into the final round. For a player who was untouchable last season, the question looms: has he lost his edge?
The Vanishing Superpower: Scheffler’s Approach Play Takes a Hit
Scheffler’s game in 2024 was nothing short of supernatural. Nine victories worldwide. A relentless ability to gain strokes on the field. And, above all, an approach game that was leagues ahead of the competition.
To put it in perspective, Scheffler gained an outrageous 1.269 shots per round with his approach play last year. The gap between him and second-place Tony Finau was larger than the gap between Finau and 31st-place Chan Kim.
When Scheffler took to the course, it was almost a given that he would surgically dismantle the field with his iron play. Yet, as the 2025 season unfolds, the numbers tell a different story.
Warning Signs from Phoenix—A Troubling Statistical Red Flag
At TPC Scottsdale, Scheffler has been unable to keep pace with the leaders. Each round, he has lost at least two strokes to Detry, a clear indicator that his approach play—his signature strength—is not firing on all cylinders.
The numbers back it up. In 2024, the only two events where Scheffler lost strokes to the field with his approach play in more than one round were the Genesis Invitational and the BMW Championship. The latter, played at altitude, saw him completely misfire—losing strokes in all four rounds.
And now? The Phoenix Open marks one of his worst approach play performances since the start of last year.
What’s Next for Scheffler? Can He Flip the Script?
Make no mistake—Scheffler remains an elite talent. He’s still the world’s top-ranked golfer. He’s still contending. But in a sport where microscopic changes can mean the difference between victory and mediocrity, the cracks in his game are impossible to ignore.
If he can somehow claw his way back from eight shots down on Sunday, it would be one of the most spectacular wins of his career. But the bigger picture remains: if Scottie Scheffler wants to dominate 2025 the way he owned 2024, he needs to rediscover the weapon that made him untouchable.
Otherwise, the door is wide open for someone else to take the throne.
