The No. 1 ranked golfer in the world, Scottie Scheffler, withdrew from the PGA Tour’s season-opening, The Sentry, the winners-only tournament Jan. 2-5 in Kapalua Resort, after he injured his hand on Christmas Day. No. 2 ranked Xander Schauffele now has the greatest betting odds and is expected to start the season off on the right foot with a win.

An official statement last Friday by Scheffler’s manager, Blake Smith, said that his client required surgery that would keep him out for around four weeks due to getting broken glass in his right hand. Should that timeline hold, Scheffler could return to 100 percent for the Famers Insurance Open after missing the Sony Open in Hawaii and The American Express Open.

Smith further noted that Scottie hurt his hand while preparing Christmas dinner. The rare injury happened during one of the best seasons in PGA Tour history after Scheffler won the Masters, the Players Championship, and six other tournaments in 2024.

The tournament will continue without the reigning PGA Tour Player of the Year, who tied for fifth place at the Sentry last season, earning $690k for his 267 score. Schauffele tied for tenth place, just one stroke behind Scheffler, which earned him $160,500 money.

The plantation course for The Sentry is famous for being one of the longest on the PGA TOUR and the only par-73 course in the schedule. Players must either win a PGA TOUR event during the last season or finish in the top 50 of the FedExCup standings from the previous season to gain entry.

Without Scheffler, Schauffele [+500] has the best odds to win the tournament, followed by Collin Morikawa [+1000], Justin Thomas [+1000], Ludvig Aberg [+1600], Hideki Matsuyama [+1800], Sunjae Im [+1800], and Patrick Cantlay [+1800.] Other notable names in the field include Tony Finau [+3000] and Wyndham Clark [+4000.]

Xander Schauffele putts while Scottie Scheffler watches

Xander Schauffele has the best odds in Scheffler’s absence ( 

Image:

Getty)

As the season neared its ending, Schauffele continued to impress with a second-place finish at the FedEx St. Jude Championship during the FedEx Cup Playoffs behind Matsuyama. He earned over $1.7 million for the finish.

Schauffele delivered one of his most consistent seasons in 2024, capped off by standout performances in major tournaments and a dominant win at the PGA Championship. He finished with a score of -9 and walked away with a $3.33 million prize and 750 FedEx Cup points.

“It seems I need to have the best career ever just to come close to Scheffler,” Schauffele said while looking back at last season. “I’m pretty content with how I played and where my game is at. If I can keep on doing what I’m doing, I’d be very pleased.”