Xander Schauffele will hope to get right back on the horse and move on from his close call last week at the Players Championship.
With Scottie Scheffler in the house a few groups ahead, the 54-hole leader Schauffele was down a shot late on Sunday looking to force a playoff or win it in regulation.
After making birdie on the par-4 16th, X Man narrowly missed a short birdie putt after hitting an excellent tee shot on the par-3 17th island hole.
Schauffele found trouble off the tee on 18 and couldn’t convert a long range birdie try.
It resulted in T-2nd after rounds of 65-69-65-70 (-19).
Schauffele was a little wayward off the tee for the week. Otherwise, his stats were sterling.
The former San Diego State Aztec ranked eighth in the field in Strokes Gained: Putting (5.058), 13th in SG: Around-the-Green (2.473), 14th in SG: Approach (5.565), and 18th in SG: Off-the-Tee (3.03).
Schauffele now arrives at the Valspar Championship for the second time.
His tournament debut resulted in T-12th (67-67-68-71, -11) in 2022.
Strong iron play is beneficial at the Copperhead course. Schauffele was T-8th in the field for the week in SG: Approach (5.006), to go with a rank of third in SG: Off-the-Tee (3.442).
On the 2024 season, the 30-year-old ranks second in SG: Tee-to-Green (1.771), third in SG: Total (1.848), eighth in SG: Off-the-Tee (.728), 13th in SG: Around-the-Green (.445), and 15th in SG: Approach (.596).
His putting is down at 80th but it’s still an overall net positive.
This has been the norm for his career to be so well-rounded. He won a lot in his early years, but that pace has petered off.
Schauffele rarely plays non-Signature Events, so this is a great opportunity to pick off a win he’s been due for.