– Talking about unfinished business seems too bold when referring to Scottie Scheffler and his record. A man who has won twenty tournaments in less than four years doesn’t have many unfinished business. However, make no mistake, the adopted and committed Texan has the next two weeks marked in red on his calendar: Pebble Beach and Riviera. They are two of the few Signature Events he has yet to win. Two legendary venues in American golf. Pebble Beach is the cathedral, and Riviera, the venue for the upcoming Olympic Games, is not far behind.
– Let’s start by defining what the Signature Events are. This is perhaps the most challenging task. If we adhere to the official stance of the PGA Tour (there’s really no other choice), we must say that the Signature Events, as such, began in 2024 and, therefore, a total of 16 have been held, eight and eight. In 2023, elevated tournaments were established, which included a mix of events driven by the prize pool that included THE PLAYERS, some WGCs, the FedEx Playoffs, and those that officially became Signature the following year… The PGA Tour, as of today, does not mark them in any special way on its calendar. However, from 2024 onwards, it clearly establishes which are the Signature Events and which are not.
– That being the case, if we only count those defined by the PGA Tour as Signature, the AT&T Pro Am starting this Thursday will be the 17th in history. Of all of them, Scheffler has five victories (Arnold Palmer, RBC Heritage, Memorial (twice), and Travelers), which is almost a third of those played. He still needs to win Pebble Beach and Genesis, the two coming up next, as well as the Sentry, which hasn’t been held this year due to the drought that has plagued the island of Kapalua. We’ll see what the future holds for the Sentry, as it seems it will disappear from the calendar or, at least, won’t be held in Hawaii from 2027.
– Thus, Pebble Beach and Riviera are the two notches left on the belt of the World Number One. Make no mistake, he has it in mind, and they are priority objectives for this 2026.
– Pebble Beach has not been Scheffler’s favourite venue. He played it for the first time as a professional in the 2019 US Open. Gary Woodland ended up winning, and Scottie missed the cut with rounds of 72 and 74. A bad week. It was the second US Open he played and the last cut he missed in this Major. After that, he never played the AT&T Pro Am until it became a Signature in 2024.
– The course has not treated him badly. He has achieved two top 10 finishes in the last two years, sixth and ninth. He shot a round of 64 in the second round of 2024, and last year he finished with a 67. Let’s not forget it was his first tournament after the ravioli incident and the cut he suffered on his hand. He managed to perform well.
– Obviously, Scheffler and his fabulous streaks of 17 consecutive top 10 finishes and 66 cuts made (this one is not in danger this week) attract much of the attention this week, although the most notable thing is that we are witnessing the first clash of giants of the season. It is the first Signature and, as such, brings together 18 of the world’s top 20 players, as well as 42 of the top 50. Only Justin Thomas, who is nearing the end of his recovery, and Patrick Reed, who will have to wait until September to return to the American circuit, are missing.
– Of course, it is the 2026 PGA Tour debut for Rory McIlroy. It is, therefore, the first time Rory and Scheffler face each other in an individual tournament (aside from the Ryder) since the Tour Championship in August. A lot of time has passed. McIlroy, by the way, is the defending champion. Here began that spectacular streak that led him to win THE PLAYERS and the Masters afterwards. It will also be the debut of the current FedEx Cup champion: Tommy Fleetwood.
– It’s not that Scheffler has anything to prove to anyone, but knowing his competitive spirit, if ever there was a week that wasn’t just another for him, this one at Pebble Beach, much less.
– A total of 80 players participate in the tournament. There is no cut. The first two days are played at Spyglass and Pebble Beach, and the weekend is entirely at Pebble Beach. Wind is expected, although nothing particularly severe, and rain during the week, especially Thursday and Sunday. We’ll see what happens because out there in California, the weather can change a lot and very quickly.
