Xander Schauffele won three tournaments, including two major championships in 2024. Yet it wasn’t enough to keep pace with World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who dominated the season with nine wins, including his second Masters. With Mr. Scheffler currently sidelined with a wrist injury, Mr. Schauffele can narrow the gap starting this weekend at The Sentry at Maui’s Kapalua Resort in Hawaii.

“Winning two majors and being further away, I’m closer to the 30th ranked player than I am the first,” Mr. Schauffele told reporters in Hawaii. “Hat’s off to Scottie. He’s a beast.”

Mr. Scheffler compiled one of the greatest seasons in golf history last year, winning nine times worldwide, including seven PGA Tour titles. He captured the Masters and the Players for a second time and claimed the gold medal in golf at the Paris Olympics. He also became the first player since Tiger Woods in 2005-2007 to win PGA Tour Player of the Year in three consecutive years.

Yet Mr. Scheffler is sidelined for at least the first two tournaments of the season after cutting the palm of his right hand on broken glass while preparing Christmas Day dinner. The injury was severe enough to require surgery to remove small glass fragments. His next scheduled tournament is the American Express on January 16-19, though his recovery could take longer.

“It’s a huge bummer,” Mr. Schauffele said of Mr. Scheffler’s injury. “I didn’t feel too comfortable texting him because we’re competitors. I just hope he’s fine. We’re a lot better off with him here in Hawaii than not. Hopefully, he gets a full recovery and he’s fine.”

Mr. Schauffele won the PGA Championship, his first major, at Valhalla Golf Club at Louisville, Kentucky, last year, and then captured the Open Championship at Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland to become the first player in ten years to win those two majors in the same year.  He is the second-ranked player in the world. He has 396.77458 points to 655.19991 for Mr. Scheffler.

While Mr. Schauffele admitted being the World’s No.1 player is one of his goals, achieving that might take some time. “If I get there I’ll be happy,” he said. “I just try not to be too results-based. But looking at the numbers, it’s going to take some time and some patience.”

The opening of the golf season isn’t as celebrated as other sports like football or baseball. Still, having Mr. Scheffler out of action is noticeable. The PGA Tour continues to stabilize after seeing several top players defect to LIV Golf.  While negotiations on some type of merger continue, the Tour is hoping a few of its more popular players can regain their form.

Will this be the year Rory McIlroy wins his first major in ten years? Can Jordan Spieth bounce back from wrist surgery after not posting a top-ten finish since April? And who will play well enough to make the U.S. Ryder Cup team when it competes against the European Team at Bethpage Black in September? Will any of it be enough to maintain the attention of golf fans soured by the sport’s three years of haggling between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf?

Any merger appears unlikely anytime soon. It’s been almost 19 months since a “framework agreement” was announced. While both sides insist talks continue, reports are LIV Golf is entertaining making a separate partnership with the DP World Tour.

The urgency for a merger has cooled since the PGA Tour received an influx of cast through an investment deal with Strategic Sports Group.

The reality is the only time when the best players in the world will compete against each other is at the four majors — the Masters (April 10-13), the PGA Championship at Quail Hollow (May 15-18), the U.S. Open at Oakmont (June 12-15), and the Open Championship at Royal Portrush (July 17-20).

A 15-time winner on the PGA Tour, Justin Thomas, said his main goal is to play well enough to make the Ryder Cup after missing out on the President’s Cup last year. His last victory came at the 2022 PGA Championship. “I haven’t had the opportunity to play pissed off for a while,” Mr. Thomas said. “So I’m pretty excited to play a little pissed off this year.”

Mr. Thomas and Mr. Schauffele are also part of the new TGL venture, the simulated golf league. Mr. Thomas will compete for the Atlanta Drive, while Mr. Schauffele is part of the New York Golf Club. The first match between the New York Golf Club and The Bay Golf Club is set for Tuesday at the SoFi Center at Palm Beach Gardens. ESPN will televise.