How Scottie Scheffler was looking on the range ahead of a practice round at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

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The PGA Tour is in line to receive a big boost ahead of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am with world number one Scottie Scheffler set to make his first start of the season.

Scottie Scheffler has not yet featured on the PGA Tour this season after sustaining a hand injury on Christmas Day. Initially, it was hoped that the 28-year-old would be back for The American Express.

However, Scheffler was forced to withdraw from the event due to not being quite ready to return to action. And it seems safe to say that the tour has missed him.

The Sentry attracted poor viewing figures, while The American Express came in for criticism following an incredibly slow final round. It was a similarly slow story at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines.

How Scottie Scheffler looked in practice ahead of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

But the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am could prove to be a turning point. There is a much stronger field in attendance for the event, with Scheffler the headline name set to tee it up.

And it seems that he is looking set to pick up where he left off. Writing on X, Golf Channel reporter Todd Lewis suggested that Scheffler did not appear to be in any discomfort on the range, and explained how he was hitting the ball on the practice ground.

Why Scheffler impressing on the practice ground is so ominous for his rivals

Scheffler sent a real warning to his rivals with his performance at the Hero World Challenge in December. He had not been seen since the Presidents Cup, and yet, he still managed to win by six in the Bahamas – albeit against a much smaller field.

What is perhaps particularly ominous is that Scheffler is not someone who steals the show on the range. Hank Haney once said Tiger Woods was the worst player he has ever worked with for replicating how good he was on the range out on the course.

Meanwhile, Peter Finch noted how unimpressive Scheffler was on the range before The Open at Royal Troon. And yet, he would still manage to register a top 10 finish at the tournament.

So it is potentially alarming for his rivals if Scheffler is looking good on the range after such a long time out. He will certainly be desperate to hit the ground running and make up for lost time.