U.S. Open Preview: Xander Schauffele was, and is, present

Xander Schauffele was at the last U.S Open at Torrey Pines in 2008 – as a teenage spectator. He’ll be inside the ropes this time around. His key to success? Staying present in the moment.

On a broken leg and a damaged ACL, Tiger Woods limped his way up the 18th at Torrey Pines South Course in the 2008 U.S. Open. He’d already played 71 holes on one leg. He now needed a birdie from the rough on the final hole to catch Rocco Mediate and force an 18-hole playoff.

Tiger, from the deep rough, landed his approach hole high. The ball skipped forward and somehow had enough backspin to trundle back to 12 feet. Tiger then had his chance to tie Mediate.

Johnny Miller called it a “mighty lash”. Golf fans – and even other pros – remember it as an impossibly great shot under pressure that would’ve crushed most golfing mortals.

You know the rest. Tiger drained the putt, gave his now iconic double fist-pump and let out a guttural roar that served as an exclamation point on his decade of golf dominance.

And, of course, Tiger won the playoff the next day.

Among the thousands witnessing one of the most memorable U.S. Open finishes in history, a 14-year old Xander Schauffele squeezed his way through the crowd to see Woods complete his adrenaline-fueled comeback.

“My memory of the event is the 18th hole,” Schauffele says, looking back in his mind.

“I was there, posted up against a tree, cheating my way up trying to get above the crowd. You know, it was 10 or 12 deep all around. I had a really good view because I’d gone two or three holes ahead to wait. I remember him hitting into the rough, hitting his shot out of the rough, the pin location, the crowd.”

Even today, as we chatted about his preparation for the 2008 U.S Open at Torrey Pines, Schauffele can still feel the electricity that was running through the crowd that afternoon.

“It was the first Tiger Roar I ever experienced…it’s hard to forget, I can promise you that. That is my memory of the tournament, that moment right there.”

That moment, Schauffele says, was possibly the spark that ignited the career of one of golf’s rising superstars.

“It was sort of right at that age,” Schauffele confirms, as he looks back at the 2008 U.S. Open.

“I really committed myself when I was about a freshman or sophomore in high school. I had a talk with my Dad, and was willing to sacrifice the friend hangouts after school. My Dad said you really need to commit yourself to this. It was right at that age.”

Reminiscing on that moment, Schauffele thinks the Tiger victory at Torrey Pines might have been the exact moment he first saw his own future.

“It was almost like the kick in the ass I needed, watching Tiger do that,” he says, a smile of acknowledgement forming on his face.

As a high school player, his team claimed Torrey Pines as their home course. Still, it wasn’t exactly like playing the Torrey Pines he’ll face at this year’s U.S. Open.

“I actually haven’t played Torrey a ton. Torrey was my home course for high school, but we played 9 holes at 3 pm. We typically played Torrey on punched greens from the white tees,” he says, laughing at the thought. “So I don’t know if I would count that as ‘playing Torrey’.”

Still, after Tiger’s victory at Torrey, a young Xander found himself doing what every other golfer in the world would want to do.

“As soon as my high school match was done I was on the 18th green. I went over there to try to hit the exact same putt, the exact same shot out of the rough. You know, it’s what he does, it’s what Tiger does to kids. We’re all products of his greatness.”

The U.S. Open returns to the South Course at Torrey Pines this year. The now 27-year old Xander Schauffele – a California kid, just like Tiger – eyes the first Major of his career. For a player who’s been knocking on that door, including a T-2 at The Masters this year, it would be even sweeter to do it in his hometown.

“It’s not wrong for me to call it a dream,” Schauffele admits.

Of course, wanting to win the U.S. Open is a much different proposition than actually pulling it off. It takes preparation, practice, and a plan. That’s where Xander leans on his X-Factor – his support network of his father, performance experts, his caddie, and himself.

While Xander will be the one hitting all the shots, the preparation for Torrey Pines is a task that is shared across his entire team.

“X-factor is sometimes referred to, you know people refer to them as variables. I like to think of my X-factor as a constant. And that’s my team,” he explains.

“I know they’re there for me each week. If we can do the correct work, I feel like that will give me the best opportunity to win this golf tournament. I’m a big believer that if you study for the test hard enough, you’re going to pass it and do really well.”

There is little doubt the X-factor team, led by Xander’s father and coach Stefan, will be prepared this week. Torrey Pines has been on their calendar since it was announced as a U.S. Open host in 2014.

I asked Xander what that 14-year old kid – the one who squeezed through the crowd to watch his idol force a playoff – might tell the current Xander about playing the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines in 2021.

“The only advice that a 14-year old kid can give me now is to not lose that sort of edge. I always play really well when I’m having fun,” he says, thinking back to high school matches at Torrey Pines where he got to leave school a little early and hang out with his teammates.

“Everyone’s always told me – coaches, even from different sports – the guys who are crushing it are always having a lot of fun along the way. That’s a really good piece of advice I can take from myself as a young kid.”

It’s safe to say it’s sometimes tough to have ‘fun’ at a U.S. Open. If history is any guide, the USGA doesn’t like low scores. Fairways are narrower, the rough is thicker, the greens are slicker, and the pressure can get to anyone.

Good shots can often go unrewarded and bad ones can kill a good round.

“The attitude that a golf course can give you is always the most during a US Open. It’ll screw you over even when you hit a good shot,” Schauffele admits.

So how does Xander deal with the inevitable bad bounces? The answer is mental toughness.

“I like to refer to it as ‘grit’. You’ve got to be stoic in those situations.”

A U.S. Open course never lays down. In fact, it can often feel like it’s punching back at the players. The X-factor team has a plan for that, too.

“You either come back swinging or you quit and leave the fight,” Schauffele says with a look of determination in his eyes. “You’ve got to have a little attitude going into this week because that course is going to give you everything and more.”

“The first thing is awareness. Everyone stepping into this week is going to be aware they are going to get screwed over (by a bad bounce), and if they’re not, then they need to work on their preparation,” he concedes.

Schauffele is no stranger to contending in Majors. He’s been in pressure situations. This week, he and his father are focusing on remaining calm through the inevitable bad bounces.

“I’ve had a lot of close calls. I always go back to those moments where I faltered or had a mental error or something – I let my mind wander a little too much. As a kid you dream of all these big moments – and you get in these moments – and you never really dreamed about how it was going to go down. You just dreamed about holding the trophy, you know what I mean?”

Though he’s yet to breakthrough in a Major, Xander knows it’s a journey, not a destination. Every eventual U.S. Open Champion has encountered a rough patch along the way. What defines a champion is how they respond to that adversity.

“It’s easy to say, ‘Yeah, I learned from my mistakes’, but recently I’ve been thinking a lot more – what does that actually mean? You know, what did I actually learn?”

“I’ve been trying to work with my Dad mentally. Even reading, myself, now more than I ever have my whole life,” he admits, chuckling.

“After I missed the cut at the PGA, I’m just sort of trying to tap into my unconscious mind and making sure it is aware, it is ready, and I’m present, and I have those little key thoughts that will bring me back to reality when things get tough.”

“The hardest part is the little steps you take. Of course, you make your mistakes and you learn from it. I’m just trying to make sure that I learn from my mistakes.”

As the 27-year old Schauffele enters the prime of his career, he’s still listening to his father while still trusting his own instincts.

“I think the best way to learn things is from within. I wouldn’t call myself ‘self-taught’, obviously my Dad’s taught me everything I know and he’s programmed my brain a certain way, but I feel like if I can sort of figure something out on my own – make it my own – it will stick better than if someone had to give me some advice.”

Over the years, the average age of every Major winner is 32-years old. Xander Schauffele is just 27. By all accounts he is on or ahead of schedule to join that elite company.

With the X-factor team behind him and a growing confidence and self-awareness, Xander Schauffele will be more than present this week. He might be ready to hoist the U.S. Open trophy in his hometown and place his name next to his boyhood idol, Tiger Woods.

Thirteen years ago, a 14-year old Xander Schauffele was fighting through the crowd to glimpse his golfing idol on the 18th green at Torrey Pines. In 2021, that same kid – now a top-10 player in the world – returns with a better view from inside the ropes.

He needs both of those people to show up this week. If Schauffele can harness the fun of playing as a kid and the focus of a multiple PGA Tour winner, he might create his own unforgettable moment in U.S. Open history.