How Scottie Scheffler has covered up his biggest weakness on the PGA Tour this season

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Scottie Scheffler was nothing short of dominant in 2025 despite having one key weakness in his game.

He added two major championships to his long list of accolades after Scheffler won The Open Championship and the PGA Championship. That means he is just a US Open away from completing the career grand slam in 2026. 

Scheffler drew comparisons to Tiger Woods in 2025, as the American star was in contention nearly every Sunday. He won six events and had 17 top-ten finishes on the season. 

The improvement Scheffler made with his putting, which used to be a major weakness in his game, has transformed him from a great player, into an all-time great player. There is now little to pick at in his game. 

But there is one glaring weakness that Scheffler has that he has been able to cover up throughout 2025.

Scottie Scheffler’s one remaining weakness

There was one area of Scheffler’s game where he lost strokes consistently throughout last season: his play around the green.

He lost strokes around the green in eight tournaments in 2025, winning two of them despite his poor scrambling play.

That weakness was exposed at the Ryder Cup, where Scheffler performed poorly. He was the worst American player around the green, losing 1.77 strokes over the tournament as he went 1-4-0. 

Scheffler’s bunker play in particular can be improved next year, which is a scary thought. If he becomes an elite scrambler, he’ll be completely unplayable.

But his Achilles heel only highlights why Scheffler’s iron play is key to his success. When he finds the green, he eliminates his biggest weakness. 

Meanwhile, when his approach to the green is wayward, Scheffler has to rely on the one area of his game where he can often lose strokes. While he no longer needs to fear the putter, Scheffler’s irons are key to everything.

Scottie Scheffler won every event in 2025 when he did one key thing well

Scheffler’s ball striking has always been a major strength in his game. His iron play allowed him to become a Masters winner despite being one of the worst putters on the PGA Tour. His putting has since improved, but Scheffler’s approach play is still the key to his success. 

He gained an average of 1.5 strokes with his approach play in 2025, making it the best area of his game by a sizeable margin. And when Scheffler’s irons were hot, he was unbeatable.

On four occasions this year, he gained over two strokes with his approach play. He won all four events. Scheffler’s best approach play performance of the year was at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, where he gained an incredible 3.5 strokes. He won that tournament by eight shots. 

While his putting has brought Scheffler into another stratosphere, it’s not the key to his success. He won four events in 2025 without gaining over one stroke on the greens. He can still win without his putter heating up.

What remains crucial is his tee-to-green play, and that was better than anyone in the game during much of 2025.