Xander Schauffele ready to build on outstanding rookie campaign
Xander Schauffele is all-in on his sophomore campaign on the PGA TOUR, and he’s ready to prove his breakout year was no fluke.
Xander Schauffele is on a mission to top his 2017 PGA TOUR season, and that’s no small task. The 23-year-old out of San Diego State was a two-time winner, including a triumph at the TOUR Championship. While he couldn’t secure the FedEx Cup itself, he did bring home Rookie of the Year honors. That would be a good year for most veterans, so what does he have in store for the new year?
If early indications are any sign, Schauffele is bent on proving he’s no one-hit (two-hit?) wonder. After a well-deserved rest following the victory at East Lake, he’s kicked off the 2017-18 season overseas at the CIMB Classic, where he remained in contention the entire week.
At the time of this writing, Schauffele is preparing for his final round at TPC Kuala Lumpur. He’s in second place, and ready to take advantage of any slip-ups by leader Pat Perez.
What’s the best thing Schauffele has going for him, though? He simply doesn’t seem to know any better.
As little as four months ago, his membership on the PGA TOUR this year wasn’t set in stone. Prior to the U.S. Open, he had popped up on a few leaderboards – a fifth-place tie at Sanderson Farms, a T-24 at the Wells Fargo – but mostly, he was taking his rookie lumps. Then, something just clicked.
Schauffele’s star was born in golf’s toughest test
Schauffele battled through a regional qualifier just to make it to Erin Hills, but instead of being beaten by golf’s toughest test, he was bolstered by it. He opened with a remarkable, bogey-free 66, and carried that confidence through the weekend on the way to a top-five finish in his first major.
"“Just to be able to be cool and calm (at Erin Hills), and kind of just not mess up, really,” he said. “I was playing really well, and usually I’ll choke or something. So to hang in there and tie for fifth, it proved to me that I could kind of hang out with the big boys.”“My dad always jokes that your confidence is a little plant, and it takes forever to grow and just a few seconds to stomp out,” he said. “So that’s kind of how it worked. That plant grew pretty fast at the U.S. Open. It almost turned into a tree, actually.”"
Think about that for a second – in a tournament that has been known to make some of golf’s biggest talents look like 10-handicappers, this 23-year-old rookie essentially chose to become a star himself.
How do you compete with that kind of confidence?
Don’t for a moment compare confidence for hubris, though. Schauffele is the first to admit that any comparisons to the game’s elite young stars like Jordan Spieth or Justin Thomas is wildly premature. That won’t stop him from going after them, though. Nor will it change his willingness to tee it up as much as he can.
"“I know a lot of people are saying, ‘Take a break, take a break,’ ” he said, “but I’m 23, turning 24. I’m hungry. I want to travel and play other places.”"
WIn or lose on Sunday, Schauffele is showing all the qualities you look for in a TOUR talent that’s here to stay. Get used to seeing his name on top of leaderboards around the world.
Next: Sergio Garcia's Surprising Breakup with TaylorMade
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