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Scottie’s Records Are Getting Scary

Jan 26, 2026 | Edition #255
👋 Hey Golf Fans,
Rory McIlroy called it last year: Scottie Scheffler is “Inevitable.” Scottie proved him right at his first start of the season by winning the American Express by four shots. In case you missed our final round coverage last night, here you go. Today, we’re reflecting on Scottie’s winning philosophy, multiple records he broke, Shane Lowry’s strange shot, a six-figure rules fiasco, Patrick Reed’s triumph, and some more.
Let’s get started…


Life Is Good

How is life as Bennett Scheffler? No one asked Scottie’s one-year-old in any media interviews, but Bennett answered anyway. In his own way, too. Check out what was written on the back of Bennett’s hoodie.
Well, you cannot blame the toddler for this subtle bragging. He has witnessed 12 of his dad's 20 wins. Did we mention he is not even two years old? The number of titles Scottie has won as a father is more than the career wins of Xander Schauffele and Hideki Matsuyama, and ties him with Steve Stricker, Paul Azinger, Justin Leonard, and a few other PGA Tour legends.
His 20th PGA Tour victory at AmEx placed him ahead of fellow Longhorns Tom Kite (19) and Ben Crenshaw (19) for most wins. Consider this, too: Scottie joined Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus with four majors and 20 wins before 30. After Tiger (97 starts) and Jack (127), Scheffler (151) is also the quickest to claim 20 victories. Arnold Palmer is 4th (178 starts).
His remarkable consistency is very similar to that of Jack Nicklaus or Tiger Woods. Scheffler has:
Won 23 of his last 86 starts (including Olympics and KFT).
Won in each of his last 10 starts where he was leading or one back after 3rd round.
Won nine titles by 4 or more strokes, three of which were majors.
Now, for someone who’s so hell-bent on winning, Scottie Scheffler is a pretty nonchalant guy. Which is why his trademark shrug, Cheshire grin, and the rote, “I don't spend too much time thinking about the milestones or anything like that,” is refreshing. It ironically also makes him “Inevitable,” as Rory McIlroy once called him.

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Entertainment

Bummer: Shane Lowry (T26) rolled in a 75-foot birdie putt in Dubai, the longest of the week. He also stuck a shot behind a… fire extinguisher. But nothing was as eventful as his missed slam dunk chance from the 13th fairway. Lowry could’ve jumped a few spots on the leaderboard if his approach actually stayed in the hole, but the ball smacked the edge of the cup, and watch what happened next.
Disaster: If you thought losing a tournament after coming close was hard enough, let us tell you what happened to David Puig yesterday. The Spaniard was tied for third after the final round at the Dubai Desert Classic. Then came the shock. He was told he unknowingly broke a rule and was penalized two strokes. From T3, he slipped to T7 and lost around $300K. Here are more details on the rules breach and how it happened.
Ageless: Bernard Langer (T9), 68, shot his age or better twice (64 & 68) at the PGA Tour Champions season-opener, the Mitsubishi Electric Championship. That's the 37th time he pulled it off. But there is one golfer who has done it 41 times, and he was also in the field with Langer last week. Find out the player here.
Swerve: At The American Express R2, Billy Horschel went pin-hunting on the 18th. His go-big-or-go-home approach shot could only have two outcomes: kiss the hole softly or flirt with the fringe. Guess what it did?
Playful: Rarely do volunteers take the spotlight away from players. But then, when volunteers deliver elite content as these two kids did at the Dubai Desert Classic, you can’t blame DPWT for giving them a shoutout. Just laugh along.

Do You Think Governing Bodies Should Stop Penalizing Pros for Unintentional Rules Violations? |
Saturday’s Results: 56.77% of you predicted that Blades Brown would not win The American Express.

Around the World

DPWT: Patrick Reed (-14) won the Dubai Desert Classic by four shots over Andy Sullivan. Interestingly, his four-shot lead from the third round was down to one by the 11th. However, Reed stepped on the gas and rebuilt the lead to claim his fourth DPWT victory. Then Reed dropped this self-deprecating joke about his physique. He is now inside the top 30 in the world ranking and locked in for all four majors. Oh, and he hasn't extended his LIV contract yet. Asked about his future, this is what the nine-time PGA Tour winner said.
PGA Tour Champions: Two months after capping his season with a Charles Schwab Cup title, Stewart Cink (-8) kicked off 2026 by winning the Mitsubishi Electric Championship. Cink went bogey-free, nailing eight birdies to edge out Angel Cabrera (-5). Here is the final putt. It's Cink’s first win here, fifth Senior Tour title overall.
Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia: At the Webex Players Series Victoria, Jordan Doull (E) led by two over Cam John (2-under). But a double-bogey blunder on the 71st hole turned the tables. On the other hand, John, last week’s Vic Open champion, missed the tournament-winning putt on the 72nd hole by inches — watch how close he came to netting back-to-back titles. That forced a playoff. They parred the first three holes, but on the 76th, Doull drained an eight-footer for birdie while John managed only a par. Elsewhere, Lachie Wood took the All Abilities title at 1-under 139, and Elbert Kim won Juniors at even-par 140.


Perfect

What if you could turn a weak slice into a reliable fade? If done right, your fade would look like this magical beauty David Puig hit at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic. Now, to nail your fades like Puig, follow these simple steps by Gabby Golf Girl.
Position the ball lower on the tee than usual. This promotes a shallower angle of attack. Now, align your clubface directly at the intended target (not left or right).
Pull your front (left) foot back a few inches to open your stance. Align your feet and body left of the target.
Swing along the path of your feet (out-to-in). This creates the proper face-to-path relationship for a perfect fade. Watch Gabby’s swing path closely to understand it.
This is a simple way to set up an out-to-in swing path without changing your grip or face angle. Once you’re comfortable, check out these drills we’ve listed below.
Skill-up Further: Three Drills to Hit a Perfect Fade

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