Scottie Scheffler has been at the top of the golfing world for a while now, setting the pace across multiple areas of the game.
Scottie Scheffler has been the standout player of his generation, adding six PGA Tour titles in 2025 — including the PGA Championship and The Open — to reach 19 career victories and four majors. But as he prepares for the new Golf Channel Games alongside Rory McIlroy later this month, Scheffler has admitted there is one department of his game that is far from elite: playing left-handed.
The made-for-TV event, hosted at Trump Jupiter, will include unique challenges such as timed driving and a 14-club test, where players may be forced to hit from their non-dominant side. For Scheffler, that presents a problem.
Scheffler admits his left-handed game is ‘not very good’
Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images
Speaking to Golf Channel, Scheffler did not sugar-coat his weakness.
“My lefty game is not very good, to say the least,” he said. “And Sam [Burns], one of my partners, his is not much better either. Maybe that’s something that I’ll hit a few lefty shots this next week [in preparation].”
McIlroy, meanwhile, revealed he is “fairly confident” in his opposite-hand abilities — although he joked that his driver travels only about 180 yards when swung left-handed.
The Golf Channel Games will pit Scheffler and McIlroy, currently ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the world, as opposing team captains. Scheffler will partner with Burns, Keegan Bradley and Luke Clanton, while McIlroy teams up with Shane Lowry, Luke Donald and Haotong Li.
McIlroy explains why he agreed to the exhibition with Scheffler
McIlroy said the motivation behind the event was to bring something fresh to golf entertainment — a format reminiscent of the NFL Combine, the NBA Three-Point Contest or MLB’s Home Run Derby.
“Scottie and I have been a part of some of these matches before, and they’ve hopefully provided some entertainment,” McIlroy said. “But this is an opportunity to do something different.
“To lean into other sports in a way… it’s just a chance to try something new, try something different. And I think we’ve put together a collection of pretty good players, different personalities, different skillsets.”
Whether fans embrace the experimental format remains uncertain, but the event will cap off a demanding season for both Scheffler and McIlroy. With the 2026 season fast approaching, the two stars are expected once again to set the standard in world golf — even if one of them may want to avoid hitting left-handed whenever possible.
