LOS ANGELES (AFP) — World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler has withdrawn from the US PGA Tour tournament at La Quinta, California, as he continues to recover from a hand injury suffered in a Christmas cooking accident.

“After consulting with my medical team, I have made the decision to withdraw from next week’s American Express tournament to give my injury more time to heal,” Scheffler said in an Instagram post on Monday.

“I am still hopeful to begin my 2025 season at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am.”

Scheffler had already withdrawn from The Sentry, which was won on Sunday by Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama.

He had planned to play in La Quinta in the tournament starting 16 January.

Scheffler’s manager had said in a statement this month that the US golf star sustained a puncture wound to the palm of his right hand from a broken glass on Christmas Day.

Scheffler needed surgery to remove glass fragments from the wound.

Scheffler has just enjoyed one of the most successful seasons in PGA Tour history winning seven tournaments on the tour -- the first player to reach that tally since Tiger Woods in 2007.

He was voted the PGA Tour Player of the Year for the third consecutive year.

Scheffler won his second Masters green jacket, Paris Olympic gold, the PGA Tour’s season-ending Tour Championship and FedEx Cup playoffs and The Players Championship in 2024.