Scottie Scheffler ready to play and commits to Pebble Beach

Scottie Scheffler has committed to play the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am next week, his first competition in about six weeks while recovering from a puncture wound to his right hand while preparing Christmas dinner.

Scheffler had said at the start of the week the recovery was progressing well and he was eager to get back but that he wasn’t about to “rush back just to rush back.”

The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am has the largest field (80 players) of the $20 million signature events because of the amateur component over two days at Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill. Scheffler tied for sixth last year when it was reduced to 54 holes by raging wind and rain, along with a forecast so bad on Sunday that it led to roads being closed.

It will be his first time playing a tournament since he won the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas for the second straight year on Dec. 8. Scheffler also teamed with Rory McIlroy on Dec. 17 in Las Vegas to win a made-for-TV match that lasted only 14 holes against LIV Golf stars Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau.

Scheffler said he typically shuts it down after the season, spending more time in the gym though still playing plenty of social golf. This time he couldn’t touch a club while letting his hand heal from surgery that removed glass from his right hand.

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“It was pretty unusual for me not to be able to do much in the gym,” said Scheffler, who said he worked primarily on his lower body until his hand began to heal.

He had to miss The Sentry at Kapalua and The American Express last week in the California desert. Scheffler did not disclose a timeline for when he started hitting balls, or how much he was going to play. He is a two-time winner of the WM Phoenix Open the week after Pebble.

The tournament, which starts Thursday, will be the start of what figures to be a closely watched encore for the FedEx Cup champion. Scheffler is coming off a season in which he won nine times, including an Olympic gold medal and another Masters green jacket. He also became the first player to win back-to-back in The Players Championship.

Also making a return at Pebble Beach is Jordan Spieth, a three-time major champion and former world No. 1 who had surgery on his left wrist after the first FedEx Cup postseason event.

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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf