Early in the PGA Tour season, there have been two big storylines: ratings (or the lack thereof) and slow play. The Tour has to be taking a big sigh of relief as this week is finally about their stable of superstars playing an iconic golf course with no NFL on TV. Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, and Jordan Spieth, three of the five most recognizable players on the PGA Tour, will make their season debut at a cathedral of the sport, Pebble Beach.

Last year, the new-look Signature Event was mired by abysmal weather that caused a Saturday, 54-hole finish. As a reminder the Pro-Am portion of this event is now only 36 holes, with 18 holes at Pebble Beach and 18 holes at Spyglass Hill, leaving the best players in the world to play 36 holes at Pebble Beach over the weekend.

The dominant storyline early in the week is the return of Scheffler, McIlroy, and Spieth to the Tour. Here are a few thoughts on each:

Scottie Scheffler

Much like old rumors of Tiger Woods shooting a worst-ball 66 at Medalist during rehab rounds, Shane Lowry said Scheffler was 6-under through six at Cypress Point on Monday (not relatable). Scheffler is returning from a hand surgery from a Christmas Eve incident with a wine glass (relatable). It will be his first start of the year after an absolutely dominant 2024 which saw him win nine times. The obvious question is will he come back in similar form to 2024? If he is healthy, the question then becomes: what is a realistic number of wins to expect in 2025? Five oddly seems too low.

Jordan Spieth

It has been a rough couple of years for Spieth. A combination of inconsistent iron play, poor putting, and a nagging wrist injury (which could very well be correlated) saw Spieth not even a consideration for last year’s U.S. President’s Cup team. After his season ended in Memphis last year, Spieth underwent surgery to repair the wrist that had been bothering him since May of 2023. A big question in 2025 will be who is Spieth now 10 years removed from his dominant 2015 which saw him win two major championships and contend in all four? At 32, will he return to a superstar level on the course or float around the fringes of Ryder Cup/Presidents Cup teams as he has for much of the last five years?

Rory McIlroy

The only man on this list not returning from injury, is returning from a long stint on the DP World Toue. As is always the discourse around the 26-time PGA Tour winner, it will be about majors and his lack of a win since 2014, despite gut-wrenching close calls the last three years. I will be watching Rory’s early season form. Last year it felt like he wasn’t playing his best golf until mid-May while he worked out some technical issues in his swing in the lead-up to the Masters. It seems his technical swing work was for the most part done in late 2024, and now the early season focus can be on stacking high finishes and confidence heading into the Masters.

Outside the players, the other side card to watch this weekend will be the world’s fastest-evolving athletes (with aid from equipment) and how they continue to cheapen one of the game’s most iconic venues. At under 7,000 yards, Pebble is becoming less and less of a well-rounded test. Very few holes demand or even invite a driver and there have never been so many wedges hit into its tiny greens. The two things that Pebble has going for it are an extremely dry January, which should promote firm conditions, and the last challenge to modern pros, weather. If the wind blows, shotmaking will be required out on the coast. If it doesn’t, expect low scores. Pebble, of course, is not helping itself. The golf course is in dire need of a refresh. Bringing the ocean back into play on Nos. 6 and 8 would be a good start, but recapturing hole locations with green expansions would bring some much-needed versatility back into the iconic venue that has seen better days.

Even with players outgrowing Pebble, the combination of top-end talent playing golf on the Pacific Ocean on a weekend void of football should be a winning recipe for the PGA Tour.


This piece originally appeared in the Fried Egg Golf newsletter. Subscribe for free and receive golf news and insight every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.