Scottie Scheffler wrapped up his week at the Hero World Challenge two shots off the pace.
He had started the final round just a stroke behind the then-leader Sepp Straka and played alongside him in the final group.
But it was Hideki Matsuyama and Alex Noren who moved ahead, eventually settling things in a playoff.
Scheffler is not often overtaken from that position, so it was a rare slip for him. And behind that moment, he felt that one specific area cost him a better chance of winning.
Scottie Scheffler gives honest verdict on Hero World Challenge
It was his first event since the Ryder Cup back in September, so it is no surprise that he was a bit rusty.
Usually, the short game is the first thing to slip after time away from competition, and that proved true in this case.
Scheffler lost strokes around the greens and found himself just behind when it mattered.
“Yeah, a good amount of confidence. I felt like I did some good things. I saw some progress on some of the stuff I was working on in the offseason,” the world number one said to NBC Sports.
“I definitely needed to be a little sharper around the greens this week. I felt like that cost me a little bit. That’s probably a bit of rust. I’ll go home and have five or six weeks to get ready for next season.”
Scottie Scheffler’s statistics back up short game criticism
Looking at the strokes gained stats from the Hero World Challenge, it is clear where Scheffler’s frustration came from.
He dropped an average of 0.60 shots per round in that category – the only one where he was in negative numbers for the week.
On a more positive note, his putting and driving both looked sharp, ranking among the better numbers in the field.
Interestingly, his approach play – usually one of his biggest strengths – was right around field average this time. Expect him to focus on that area before the 2026 PGA Tour season gets underway.
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