The Punter's De-brief: Sensational Scheffler cruises to hometown success

• Scheffler now the firm favourite at Quail Hollow

• Read my Myrtle Beach Classic preview here

• Read my Turkish Airlines Open preview here

• Read my Truist Championship preview here 

Having won nine of the 21 events that he played in - in 2024, the world number one, Scottie Scheffler, teed it up in Dallas on Thursday afternoon in search of his first victory of 2025 in his ninth start of the year.

A freak accident on Christmas Day, when Scheffler sustained a puncture wound to the palm of his right hand from a broken glass, delayed his start to 2025 until the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in early February and after the year he'd had in 2024, not many would have predicted it would take until May for him to get off the mark.

Scheffler had been rounding into form nicely, finishing second for the third time in the Houston Open, before finishing fourth behind Rory McIlroy at the US Masters and eighth at the RBC Heritage - two events in which he was attempting to defend the title.

He was making his fourth start in the CJ Cup Byron Nelson at TPC Craig Ranch and with progressive course form figures reading 47-15-5, he was a well-backed 3/14.00 favourite before the off.

He went odds-on after just eight holes of round one!

Having teed it up in the afternoon on Thursday and having played his first eight holes in five-under-par, Scheffler hit a perfect second shot to the par five ninth to set up an eagle putt form just outside four feet and defeat looked unlikely from that point on.

Scheffler cooled off fractionally on the front nine (his second nine) after making the eagle, but he still posted a10-under-par 61 to lead by two and he was trading at 1.625/8.

The world number briefly touched even money when he played his first eight holes in level par on Friday morning but after eagling the ninth again, and a six-hour weather delay, he put the event to bed on the back-nine, playing it in six-under-par to lead by six at halfway.

Scheffler was trading at just 1.111/9 at the halfway stage and he was trading at 1.011/100 after three rounds when he led by eight!

The first wire-to-wire winner @CJByronNelson since 1980!

Scottie Scheffler gets his first victory of the 2025 season in dominant fashion. pic.twitter.com/k6YoBerUrj

-- PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 5, 2025

I thought he might cool off a bit in round four, but he played his final lap of TPC Craig Ranch in eight-under-par to post an astonishing 31-under-par total to win by eight and to tie the record for the lowest 72-hole total on the PGA Tour.

Lowest 72-hole total scores, @PGATOUR history

Justin Thomas, 2017 Sony Open, 253
Ludvig Åberg, 2023 RSM Classic, 253
Scottie Scheffler, 2025 CJ CUP Byron Nelson, 253

-- Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf) May 4, 2025

Scheffler the firm favourite at Quail Hollow

Rory McIlroy, who is looking to defend his Truist Championship title this week at the Philadelphia Cricket Club (previewed here), was the clear favourite to win the US PGA Championship this time last week but he and Scheffler have flip-flopped at the head of the market after Scottie's dominant display in Dallas.

The world number one is now trading at 5.69/2 to win the year's second major next week but Rory may still hold the upper hand and there are plenty of others with strong claims.

Scheffler, who is taking this week off, has never played next week's venue, Quail Hollow, whereas Rory has won there four times previously.

The defending champion, Xander Schauffele, traded at odds-on at Quail Hollow two years ago before Wyndham Clark went on to win there and Justin Thomas won the US PGA Championship back in 2017, on the last occasion that Quail Hollow hosted.

Bryson DeChambeau will have plenty of supporters following his victory on the LIV Golf circuit in Korea on Sunday and Jordan Spieth is an interesting contender after he posted a nine-under-par 62 on Sunday to move up into fourth place behind Scheffler.

Spieth, who won both the US Masters and the US Open in 2015, and the Open Championship in 2017, is looking to emulate Rory, who secured his career Grand Slam at Augusta last month.

Spieth is trading at 55.054/1 to achieve the feat.

We've got a busy week before the year's second major though, with two PGA Tour events and one DP World Tour tournament in Turkey.

I've previewed the Truist Championship here, the Myrtle Beach Classic here and the Turkish Airlines Open here.

*You can follow me on Twitter @SteveThePunter

Now read more golf previews and tips here