Strokes Gained Approach: The SG Approach is used to measure the performance of shots played to the green by comparing every shot to a benchmark (usually PGA Tour averages). It highlights how much a player’s iron play gains or loses strokes compared to the field based on starting distance and lie.

For a player who has led the PGA Tour in Strokes Gained: Approach for three consecutive seasons and has been holding the top spot for 141 weeks; the recent ones from these past two weeks are unforgivably unacceptable.

In the first round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Scottie Scheffler ranked 35th. He was 36th in the second round and 51st in the third round. At the Genesis Invitational held at Riviera, his ranking in SG approach was 56th in the opening round and 23rd, 28th, 23rd, and 29th in the remaining three rounds, respectively.

At Riviera, Scheffler’s ball-striking was in such disarray that he experienced his worst 10-hole start to a PGA Tour event ever. He went 5-over par through his first 10 holes. That struggle followed him to Florida. During the third round at Bay Hill, Scheffler hit only 10 out of 18 greens in regulation. He missed 8 greens on a day where he was desperately trying to climb back into contention.

Overall, on the Tour, #1 currently ranks 57th in SG: Approach for the Green with an average of 0.250, and #2 Rory McIlroy leads the group with 1.464. And it isn’t just the iron shots. Scheffler has missed crucial putts from inside 6 feet multiple times this season, leading to visible frustration that the golf world rarely sees from the normally calm Texan.

During the 2026 Genesis Invitational, his frustration reached a peak during the rain-delayed opening round. He had reportedly slammed a bathroom door on the 9th hole following a double-bogey stretch. And most recently, after missing a 10-foot par putt on the 18th hole during Friday’s second round at the 2026 API, Scheffler plucked his ball from the cup and immediately chucked it across the lake.

And what’s more agonizing for him was his first-round scoring average. Despite leading the field in the overall scoring average, he currently sits at 117th in the first-round scoring average. If we leave AmEx 2026, Scheffler has started the first round with even par or worse in almost every tournament he has played so far this season, coming into Bay Hill. Even CBS Sports analyst Patrick McDonald noted the same.

“Slow starts have hindered Scottie Scheffler early in the 2026 PGA Tour season. You know it. He knows it. The whole golf world knows it.”

These numbers sting more when we look back at his past seasons. In 2024, Scheffler was invincible and led the PGA Tour in Greens in Regulation (GIR) at 73.07%. Even in 2025, while healing from a hand injury, his stats were better. He won six of his last twelve games, including two major championships. Seeing him rank outside the top fifty is something no one can expect from the current world #1.

But as of today, Scheffler is not the only one who is struggling. Although not statistically, the #2 Rory McIlroy has taken a massive physical blow right before the spring season starts.

Not just Scottie Scheffler, but also Rory McIlroy faced a blow at the API

While warming up in the gym, the Northern Irishman felt a back twinge. He skipped his usual putting routine and went straight to the practice range. Within minutes, the small pain turned into painful muscle spasms in his back. McIlroy realized he could not compete and withdrew from the Arnold Palmer Invitational right before the third round started.

“While warming up in the gym this morning, I felt a small twinge in my back,” McIlroy said in a statement. “As I started hitting balls on the range before the round, it worsened and developed into muscle spasms in my lower back. Unfortunately, I’m not able to continue and have to withdraw. I was excited to compete this weekend. I wish the Arnold Palmer Invitational a great finish and look forward to being back next year.”

McIlroy was getting back his momentum at Bay Hill after a slow start. And he was sitting at 4-under par and tied for ninth place, trailing leader Daniel Berger by nine shots after the second round. But now, just 4 days before the PLAYERS Championship and 33 days before the Masters, this injury is a huge concern for not just him but for the golf world altogether, especially at a time when Scottie Scheffler is struggling.