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2021 The American Express: Top 10 power rankings

By Mike Randleman

Adam Hadwin hits out of the bunker on the 18th hole of the Stadium Course at PGA West during the Desert Classic, January 20, 2019.Desert Classic Sunday 14
Adam Hadwin hits out of the bunker on the 18th hole of the Stadium Course at PGA West during the Desert Classic, January 20, 2019.Desert Classic Sunday 14 /
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Scottie Scheffler runs uphill toward the 10th hole of the Stadium Course at PGA West in La Quinta, during the American Express golf tournament, January 18, 2020.Amex Golf Pga West 2020 Sat 28
Scottie Scheffler runs uphill toward the 10th hole of the Stadium Course at PGA West in La Quinta, during the American Express golf tournament, January 18, 2020.Amex Golf Pga West 2020 Sat 28 /

It seems like just a matter of time before Scottie Scheffler wins on the PGA Tour. He nearly did it in his 19th career start last year at The American Express.

Rounds of 65-64-66 had him tied for the 54-hole lead with eventual champion Andrew Landry, but a closing 70 left him three off the pace.

Scheffler was second in the field in putts per green in regulation (1.527) and 11th in driving distance (310.2). The 24 year old ranked 10th on the PGA Tour last season in strokes gained off the tee (.618) and tee to green (1.131).

The learning curve can be steep for young players seeing courses for the first time. Pete Dye courses are among the toughest. Look for Scheffler to be more prepared for the Stadium course this time around.

“It’s a tough course. It’s a good track,” Scheffler was quoted in 2020 by ASAP Sports. “If you’re not on your game, you can really struggle. There’s a lot of trouble out there, so you’ve got to hit a lot of quality shots to keep the ball in play, so it’s a good track. Good test.”

This was his first event shaking off the rust in 2020. Perhaps getting some reps in beforehand will help.

Scheffler finished T-13th (70-66-70-69) a couple weeks ago at the Tournament of Champions. That was his third top-20 in his last four starts, which includes a T-19th at the Masters. He’s on a streak of nine rounds of par or better.

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