Three biggest storylines at AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am

All eyes will be on Scheffler this week in his first start of the 2025 season. The world No. 1 suffered a puncture wound to his right hand while preparing Christmas dinner and underwent minor surgery to remove glass from his palm. 

Scheffler hasn't played since the Hero World Challenge in early December, a tournament he won by six shots. He  finished 2024 with nine wins in his last 16 starts worldwide, so it's no wonder he enters the week as a sizable betting favorite — +500, per BetMGM — despite the injury uncertainty. 

Scheffler isn't the only star returning to the golf course this week, though. Spieth, who missed the end of last season after undergoing wrist surgery in August, is set to make his season debut at Pebble Beach. The three-time major champion didn't record a top-20 finish in his last 14 starts to close last season, so he's in need of a bounce-back campaign. 

Rory McIlroy kicks off a crucial 2025 season

The frustration and heartbreak must be piling up for McIlroy. It's been more than 10 years since he won his last major championship, and he has recorded 11 top-five major finishes during that span. The most painful of the bunch had to be last year's U.S. Open, where McIlroy missed a four-footer on the 72nd hole of the tournament to lose to Bryson DeChambeau by one stroke. 

McIlroy isn't getting any younger. The Northern Irishman is still playing spectacular golf at 35, but that won't last forever. He's running out of time to end this prolonged major drought. The 2025 season is a pivotal one for McIlroy, and it all starts this week at Pebble Beach. 

Will Justin Thomas or Collin Morikawa end winning droughts?

Speaking of droughts, Thomas and Morikawa have been playing too well for too long to be winless for as long as they have. 

Thomas finished 2024 with back-to-back top-three finishes at the Zozo Championship and Hero World Challenge, and he kept the momentum rolling into 2025 with a runner-up finish at The American Express. That makes 13 top-five finishes for JT since his last win at the 2022 PGA Championship. 

Thomas has been on fire with his putter and irons, so a win must be coming. Could that come at Pebble Beach, a course that emphasizes hot putting and approach play?

Morikawa is in a similar boat as Thomas. The American won two major championships before turning 25, but he hasn't won on the PGA Tour since the 2023 Zozo Championship. That's also his only win since the 2021 Open Championship. Morikawa somehow didn't win in 2024 despite recording seven top-five finishes. He kept that theme rolling with a runner-up finish at The Sentry to begin the 2025 season. 

It's time for one of these stars to get back in the winner's circle, and Pebble Beach is a perfect course for both players.