Scottie Scheffler faces big dilemma with the most crucial phase of the PGA Tour season lying in wait

Scottie Scheffler’s calendar has never looked so crowded, and the world No. 1 knows the choices he makes over the next six weeks could shape the entire narrative of his 2025 season. After opening the campaign with a victory in his first start, the 29-year-old has gone five consecutive events without a win—an uncharacteristic lull that coincides with mounting swing concerns and a schedule that refuses to let up.

Since his triumph at the American Express, Scheffler has logged two top-five finishes, a T-12 and two top-25s. For most players, that would constitute a hot streak; for a man who captured seven of his first 13 stroke-play starts, it feels pedestrian. The root of the slide is no secret: iron play that insiders describe as “concerning” and a swing that has become “unrecognizable” from the free-flowing move that carried him to the top of the Official World Golf Ranking. Coaches and analysts have noted a shorter backswing and a noticeably open clubface throughout the motion, producing approaches that have rarely flirted with flagsticks.

Compounding the ball-striking issues, Scheffler concedes his driver has also been erratic. With major season on the horizon, the Texan finds himself at a strategic crossroads: fix the swing or manage the grind?

The Tour’s spring gauntlet begins the moment the azaleas fade at Augusta National. Scheffler will defend his green jacket at The Masters, then head straight to Harbour Town for the RBC Heritage. A brief respite follows in New Orleans at the team-format Zurich Classic, but the schedule tightens immediately afterward. Florida’s Cadillac Championship and North Carolina’s Truist Championship—both limited-field Signature events—run on consecutive weeks, leading directly into the PGA Championship at Aronimink. After that, Scheffler would return home for the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, where he is the reigning champion, and potentially stay in Texas for the Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial.

Playing four straight weeks is anathema to a player who already dislikes three in a row. Yet skipping one of the middle tournaments is complicated by loyalty, history and FedEx Cup math. He skipped last year’s Truist Championship at Philadelphia Cricket Club and still won the season-long race, but the margin for error is slimmer now. Every missed Signature event is an opportunity for rivals to chip away at his points lead, and Scheffler’s competitive gene makes voluntary withdrawal feel like surrender.

The most likely casualty appears to be the Cadillac Championship at Trump National Doral, a venue where he has no past champion’s exemption to protect. Even that decision, however, would leave him three consecutive weeks from the Truist through the PGA, followed immediately by two more in his home state. Physically and mentally, the toll could be immense—particularly if the swing remains a work in progress.

Still, Scheffler’s “slump” is relative. He has not finished outside the top-25 since August 2024 and is one made cut away from extending his streak to 71, halfway to Tiger Woods’ record of 142. The hallmark of his dominance has been the ability to contend without peak form, a trait that buys him patience but not unlimited time.

As the Tour pivots from coast-to-coast marathons to the concentrated crucible of majors and Signature events, the dilemma crystallizes: chase every trophy and risk burnout, or strategically retreat and concede precious FedEx Cup points? In the next fortnight, Scheffler, caddie Ted Scott and swing coach Randy Smith will dissect data, consult feel and ultimately decide which event—if any—lands on the chopping block.

Whatever the verdict, the golfing world will be watching. The season’s most critical stretch is here, and the world No. 1 must solve both his swing and his schedule before the trophies he covets most are decided.