In golf, not all physical problems are incapacitating. Just ask Tiger Woods. You can play, if you have a high tolerance for pain and a sharp competitive fang like Tiger, even with a lame hand. And if you don't believe it, go to YouTube and look for images of the Californian at the 2008 US Open. What you can't do in any way, except after years of training (there's the example of adapted golfers), is to play without a hand. And that's why Scottie Scheffler hasn't been able to touch a club since he announced his withdrawal from the PGA Tournament of Champions in December due to a cut on his right hand suffered while making homemade ravioli with his family. A mishap that, apart from earning him an unusual winter vacation for a star of this sport, has forced him to look for creative formulas to stay in shape.
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Scheffler, situation
In this, the Texan has discovered a good remedy in memory. He explained this in a meeting with the media offered as the reigning champion of the Arnold Palmer Invitational, published by Golf.com. I have invested time in watching things from last year. Above all to exercise my memory, said the protagonist in 2024 of the most lucrative season, economically, in history, and the best in sports in the last 25 years.
Normally I have a poor memory for these things. I have had to spend a lot of time sitting with my hand up since the surgery, so I decided to watch old shots, past tournaments... and reflect on it, not much either, he said about his mental training in recent days. Given the lack of training, in this part of the year especially important because it is when players take advantage to make small modifications (in Scheffler's case, he introduced a new putting grip in the Hero World Challenge), and in such a mental sport, this practice has served him, he acknowledges, to remember his brain the sensations before some shots, for example how the club felt in the hands and that kind of thing.
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With his recovery coming to an end and his return to action planned, barring any setbacks, for Pebble Beach next week, the world number one has already been seen doing gym work. I'm eager to get back, but I'm not going to rush, he guarantees. A smart decision, because returning to the performance standard he set in 2024 is going to require 100% of his capabilities.
