World’s Top Golfer Scheffler Still Deciding on Driver for Players Championship

Scottie Scheffler remains undecided about which driver to use at this week's Players Championship as he seeks to become only the second golfer to win the tournament three times. The world's No. 1 player recently switched to a new TaylorMade driver but struggled at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, finishing tied for 24th.

World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler has the opportunity this week to join an exclusive club as just the second player ever to capture The Players Championship three times, but he’s still wrestling with an important equipment choice.

While it might seem unusual for golf’s top-ranked player to experiment with his driver at such a crucial time, Scheffler remained characteristically calm when addressing the situation Tuesday at TPC Sawgrass.

“I mean, is it an uncomfortable time of year to be working on it? I mean, not really,” Scheffler said. “I think you’re always kind of looking for ways that you can get better. So I’m always looking for ways that I can improve my game.”

The 29-year-old had been using a TaylorMade Qi10 driver for an extended period but made the switch to the company’s newer Qi4D model at last week’s Arnold Palmer Invitational, joining Rory McIlroy and other top professionals. The change didn’t yield immediate results, as Scheffler managed only a tie for 24th place and failed to break 70 in any round.

“So I think when you look at the driver, I think there’s always little things you can do to improve, but you got to toe the line, I think, between improving and sticking with the stuff that also works really well,” Scheffler said. “So there’s always that kind of fine line in golf. Like you see guys trying to get a bunch of speed and then it’s like, OK, we gained a bunch of speed but now the irons are getting a little bit worse; I’m having trouble with my distance control. There’s always a little bit of give and take.”

Scheffler acknowledged that newer equipment technology comes with both advantages and disadvantages for his playing style, noting he was “still kind of working through” his choice between the two driver options.

When pressed about whether he would stick with the newer driver for this week’s tournament, often called the unofficial fifth major, Scheffler joked, “That was a really long-winded way of saying no comment. I don’t know if you could pick up on that.”

The recent struggles mark an unusual stretch for Scheffler, who has failed to crack the top 10 in his last two tournaments. This represents a notable departure from his dominant 2024 campaign, when he recorded top 10 finishes in 15 consecutive events beginning with the Houston Open in late March. That remarkable streak included victories at the PGA Championship, the Open Championship, the Memorial, and the BMW Championship.

Although Scheffler began this season with a victory at The American Express, he has experienced slower tournament starts in recent weeks.

Scheffler claimed The Players Championship titles in both 2023 and 2024, becoming the first golfer to win consecutive editions of the PGA Tour’s premier event. McIlroy ended that streak last year by defeating J.J. Spaun in a playoff.

The defending champion believes TPC Sawgrass presents a more diverse set of challenges compared to most tour venues throughout the season.

“I think when you look at this golf course, I think you see a variety of winners, and you also don’t see one style of player winning this tournament a bunch of times,” Scheffler said. “When you look at the golf course, I think it’s so unique in a sense of, the way modern golf is kind of trending, I think this place you kind of take some steps back where the areas to hit into are small. And there’s certain holes where you can definitely take advantage of your length if you’re a longer hitter. But there’s also some holes where you got to get the ball in play, and you have to be able to curve the ball both directions.”

The course is best known for its intimidating island green at the par-3 17th hole, which Scheffler playfully mentioned when asked if Sawgrass needed additional water hazards.

“There’s a lot of water out there,” he said with a laugh. “There’s one hole that’s surrounded by water, in fact.”