HARTFORD, Connecticut – During the Travelers Championship Media Day last week, defending champion Scottie Scheffler insisted he wasn’t concerned or anxious that he hadn’t won yet in 2025, that he had had some good recent finishes and was “definitely trending in the right direction.”
Much of those thoughts could be attributed to not being able to make proper preparations for the season due to injuring his right hand when he tried using a wine glass to roll pasta for ravioli while making Christmas dinner, one of the many off-the-course attributes for the religious Scheffler. The No. 1 player in the Official World Golf Rankings underwent surgery to remove shards of glass from his palm and was unable to practice golf during the recovery.
Scheffler made his 2025 debut as the two-time defending champion at The Players Championship and tied for 20th. Two weeks later, he finished second in the Houston Open, one stroke behind Min Woo Lee, and then was fourth in defense of his Masters title and eighth in the RBC Heritage.
Only five days after chatting with the Connecticut media via a Zoom call from his home in Dallas, Texas, Scheffler proved his belief that he was on the right path when he completed one of the most emphatic displays in PGA Tour history in his hometown event, the CJ CUP Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas. He shot a career-low and tournament-best, bogey-free 10-under-par 61 in the first round and then tacked on 63 (eagle, seven birdies despite a six-hour rain delay), 66 (seventh birdie on 18th after sunset) and 63 (eagle and seven birdies) for a PGA Tour record-tying 72-hole total of 31-under 253 that left runner-up Eric Van Rooyen (63) in the dust by eight strokes. Scheffler’s close friend and fellow Texan Jordan Spieth, the 2017 Travelers champion, matched his career low of 62 to finish fourth at 265, one behind Sam Stevens (64).
“What he’s doing is inspiring, what he’s been doing is inspiring,” said Spieth, who grew up hearing about Scheffler, a town over, who was younger and really good. “I mean, it wasn’t that long ago I was definitely better than him, and I’m definitely not right now. I hate admitting that about anybody, but I just watched it those first two rounds, and like I’ve got to get better. It’s very inspiring.”
Scheffler’s 124 while playing with Spieth was the lowest 36-hole total in tournament history and bested his previous PGA Tour career low by three shots. It also was the second-lowest 36-hole total in PGA Tour history to Justin Thomas’ 123 at the 2017 Sony Open in Hawaii, where he shot 59 in the first round. Scheffler’s 23-under 190 bettered his previous 54-hole low of 193 in the 2024 Travelers Championship, and his 253 tied the 72-hole record shared by Thomas in the 2017 Sony Open and Ludvig Aberg in the 2023 RSM Classic.
The widest margin of victory in Scheffler’s career had been five shots, which he had done in the Arnold Palmer Invitational and The Players Championship in 2023. The last golfer to have an eight-shot lead on the PGA Tour through 54 holes was Rory McIlroy at the 2011 U.S. Open. His next start will be the PGA Championship on May 15-18 at the Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C., where 2022 Travelers winner Xander Schauffele will be the defending champion.
“This tournament definitely means a lot to me,” said an emotional Scheffler, 28, who tied for 22nd in his PGA Tour debut in the 2014 Byron Nelson at only 17 and a Highland Park High senior with sister Callie as his caddie. “I grew up coming out here to watch and have really good memories of a tournament that has always treated me really well. So it was good to be back and have a chance to win.”
After going birdie-bogey on Nos. 2 and 3 Sunday, Scheffler rattled off four consecutive birdies and then capped a front-nine 30 with a 20-foot putt for eagle 3. He also birdied Nos. 11, 14 and 15, all from inside 8 feet, to reach 32 under. A flubbed chip that rolled back to his feet at the par-3 17th hole led to a bogey, and Scheffler missed an 8-foot birdie bid at the 18th that would have given him the solo 72-hole record. Still, he became the first wire-to-wire Byron Nelson winner since Tom Watson 45 years ago.
Scheffler’s first-place check of $1.782 million increased his PGA Tour career earnings to $78,504,784, not including bonuses, which last season alone totalled $33 million, including $25 million for winning the season-long FedEx Cup title. Showing remarkable consistency, he’s also missed only 19 cuts in 139 career starts with 65 Top-10 finishes and 35 Top-3 showings.
Scheffler missed the 2014 CJ CUP because his first child, Bennett, was born on May 8, but now he has 14 PGA Tour victories in less than five years on the most significant circuit in golf.
“This means so much to me,” Scheffler, who signed autographs in the dark after he finished the third round Saturday at 8:25 p.m., said as he teared up while holding Bennett during a CBS interview. “My first start as a pro 11 years ago, I had my sister caddying for me, and she’s back there, too (pointing behind him). It feels like a lifetime of hard work and sacrifices for little moments like these are pretty special.”
Scheffler still has plenty to do to approximate what he did in 2024, when he notched seven PGA Tour victories, including the Masters, Players Championship and Tour Championship, plus the Olympic gold medal and FedExCup, on the way to becoming a runaway Player of the Year and No. 1 in the rankings. Then there was being arrested after a traffic incident before the second round of the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky. He was released from jail in time to return to the course and shoot 5-under 66, eventually finishing in a tie for eighth. He was the first player since Tiger Woods in 2007 to record a seven-win season, and his total on-course earnings for the year were a staggering $62 million.
Though Scheffler had to skip the CJ CUP last year, he was on hand with wife Meridith and son Bennett when dad parred the first playoff hole to defeat close friend Tom Kim and win the Travelers Championship and $3.6 million first prize in one of the PGA Tour’s eight Signature events at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell.
“At the end of the year, I was very grateful, very thankful,” Scheffler said. “I had some pretty significant life experiences between Bennett being born and then all the golf tournaments as well. It was a lot of fun, but I didn’t feel any pressure to repeat this year. I was just hoping to continue that trend on the golf course. Life’s been good here at home. Bennett’s doing great. He’s healthy and a lot of fun for Meredith and me.”
It certainly was plenty of fun for the Schefflers 30 miles from their home in Scottie’s 14th PGA Tour victory and sixth Top-10 finish this year, most on the Tour. Still, Scheffler said he’s fired up to compete even harder.
“I think that’s what’s great about our game,” Scheffler said. “This week, I was the best player. I have (next) week off, and we’ll see the week after who is the best player at the PGA (Championship). (Masters champion and No. 2) Rory (McIlroy) has been playing some tremendous golf this year. The career Grand Slam was really special to watch. I was glad to be able to be there for it. I think any time you’re getting beat, you’re always fired up just a little bit extra to go out and practice.”
Little wonder he choked up when addressing the crowd in the event named for Hall of Famer Byron Nelson, whom Scheffler met and had a photo taken with when he was 6. He watched in person as a kid and high schooler and made his PGA Tour debut in which he made a hole-in-one. The girl he was dating then is now his wife, and his sister was his caddie and was there Sunday with her two kids.
Scheffler certainly gave them the best thing to cheer about.
“My family was all able to be here, and it was just really, really special memories,” Scheffler said, “and I think at times it all comes crashing down to me at once. We have a lot of great memories as kids coming to watch this tournament. I just dreamed to be able to play in it, and it’s more of a dream to be able to win it.”
As the saying goes, there’s no place like home.
