Tag: Xander Schauffele

Categories
Highlights Tours

Xander Schauffele Opens PGA Championship 2024 with Recordbreaking 62

Xander Schauffele leads the PGA Championship 2024. (Photo: Getty)
Xander Schauffele leads the PGA Championship 2024. (Photo: Getty)

Xander Schauffele took the early lead of the PGA Championship 2024 with a recordbreaking round of 62 shots. It was the lowest round in PGA Championship history and a new course record at the Valhalla Golf Club. Additionally it ties the record for the lowest major championship round. It is the fourth time a player shot 62 in a major championship, one of the previous instances was by Xander Schauffele himself who also opened the US Open 2023 in Los Angeles with a 62.

View all live scores for the PGA Championship 2024

Xander Schauffele on his 62 at the PGA Championship

THE MODERATOR: Xander Schauffele joins us now at the 106th PGA Championship.

Xander, a heck of a start for you today. What are your thoughts on your round?

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Yeah, it’s a great start to a big tournament. One I’m obviously always going to take. It’s just Thursday. That’s about it.

Q. Do you feel like you’re playing the best golf of your career right now?

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Probably, yeah. I feel there’s spurts, moments in time where you feel like you can control the ball really well; you’re seeing the greens really well; you’re chipping really well. But over a prolonged period, it’s tough to upkeep high performance.

Yeah, I’d say it’s very close to it if not it.

Q. JT was saying that you’re hitting it so much further. How much of an advantage has that given you on golf courses this year?

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Yeah, definitely a big advantage. I felt like out here, you’re just eyeing the fairway most times. It doesn’t really matter if you fly a ball 325 yards. If it’s in the rough, it doesn’t do you any good. You’d rather be 300 yards in the middle of the fairway.

But I think overall, just knowing that I can kind of get the ball out there pretty far without having to go at it all the time is a pretty good feeling.

Follow the 2024 PGA Championship live blog

Q. Mentally speaking after a round like this, do you take tomorrow and wipe the slate clean, or do you use this as something to build on tomorrow, knowing what you’ve already done today?

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: A little bit of both. Teeing off 2:00-something tomorrow, the course is going to be — the greens will be probably a little bit bumpier with a lot of foot traffic coming through. Who knows with the weather, it might rain, so the course might be playing completely different.

Just going to bed knowing I’m playing some pretty good golf might just wipe the slate clean.

Q. Do you know the last person to shoot 62 in a major?

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Did I get it in before Rickie?

Q. You were after him, the last one. Which round would you say was better if you compare those two days?

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: I don’t know. I can’t nit-pick. I’ll take a 62 in any major any day.

Q. When you think back on this round, what’s the shot or the putt that you’re going to remember the most?

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Probably 12, the hole I played the worst. Kind of pull drew a 3-wood there. I asked Austin how far we had to the pin. He was like 225 out of the rough. I thought, this is going to be a pretty tough par.

So I kind of hacked it up there, and then pitched it up somewhere on the green to 15 feet and was able to make that putt early in the round, which was really big for me.

Q. We’ve talked before about the difference between not winning and, quote-unquote, failure. Obviously this game is the way it is. You don’t win most of the time. How do you cultivate resilience, and how do you hang tight to that resilience that you need?

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Yeah, I think not winning makes you want to win more, as weird as that is. For me, at least, I react to it, and I want it more and more and more, and it makes me want to work harder and harder and harder.

The top feels far away, and I feel like I have a lot of work to do. But just slowly chipping away at it.

Q. I’m curious if you feel like you could have shot any better than 62 today.

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: I don’t really operate that way. In terms of wanting to go practice right now, there’s always shots you can kind of pick apart or chips that you can pick apart that you felt like you could have hit better, but I’m very content with how I played.

Q. At what point in the round did you know that you were going to post a pretty low number? Was it early?

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: No, not really. I didn’t get up-and-down on 10. I was able to birdie 11 and had a sweaty par on 12. It wasn’t like a dream start. Being 1-under through 3 probably would have been a good start for me anyways, and when you shoot something low, you kind of get lost in the process of what you’re doing versus thinking about how low you’re trying to shoot.

Categories
PGA Tour

Viktor Hovland and Xander Schauffele withdraw from WM Phoenix Open

PGA Tour: Viktor Hovland and Xander Schauffele have both withdrawn from the WM Phoenix Open. (Image: Getty)
PGA Tour: Viktor Hovland and Xander Schauffele have both withdrawn from the WM Phoenix Open. (Image: Getty)

Viktor Hovland, the fourth-ranked player in the World Golf Ranking, and fifth-ranked Xander Schauffele have both withdrawn from the WM Phoenix Open, which takes place in the American state of Arizona starting Thursday. Despite their absence, the prestigious tournament still boasts a prominent field of players.

PGA Tour: Viktor Hovland and Xander Schauffele unexpectedly withdraw

According to the PGA Tour, both players will not be part of the field at the WM Phoenix Open this weekend. Viktor Hovland’s decision not to participate has fueled speculation about a potential switch to the LIV Golf League. Although Viktor Hovland has previously questioned the leadership of the PGA Tour, he also emphasized in December that a move to the LIV Golf League is highly unlikely.

After participating in The Sentry at the beginning of January, Hovland’s appearance at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am was only his second tournament of the year. The Norwegian finished tied for 58th place there. He had a solid start in the first round but followed it with two 72s before the tournament was cut short to 54 holes. It wouldn’t be the first time he withdraws after a disappointing tournament

Xander Schauffele finished 54th at Pebble Beach, one shot better than Hovland. The two players will be replaced by Victor Perez and Alexander Bjoerk, while Ryan Fox will compensate for another withdrawal by Davis Riley.

Strong field despite withdrawals

The WM Phoenix Open will be held at TPC Scottsdale. Despite the absence of Viktor Hovland and Xander Schauffele, several other top-10 players from the World Golf Ranking, including Scottie Scheffler, Wyndham Clark, Max Homa, Matt Fitzpatrick, and Brian Harman, will participate in the tournament. Other prominent names include Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Sam Burns, and Rickie Fowler, as well as former major winners Hideki Matsuyama and Adam Scott.

Categories
Professionals

World Golf Ranking: Scottie Scheffler Ends the Year at the Top

As 2023 wraps up, Scottie Scheffler secures the top spot in global golf, leading the World Golf Ranking. (Photo: Getty)
As 2023 wraps up, Scottie Scheffler secures the top spot in global golf, leading the World Golf Ranking. (Photo: Getty)

Scottie Scheffler remains firmly at the top of the current world golf ranking, solidifying his position as the highest-ranked American golfer. Scheffler’s consistent and stellar performances on the golf course have allowed him to clinch the top spot, underscoring his status as a dominant force in the sport. Accompanying him in the rankings, Patrick Cantlay secures his elite standing by holding onto the fifth position, showcasing the enduring excellence of American golfers.

Click here for the full world golf ranking

Consistent Performances: Leading American Golfers in World Ranking

Among the leading American players, Xander Schauffele holds sixth place, closely followed by Max Homa in seventh. The players have maintained their positions from the previous week, placing them firmly in the top ten. Brian Harman and Wyndham Clark bring up the rear in ninth and tenth place, respectively, concluding the group of leading American talents in the World Golf Rankings.

Scottie Scheffler is followed in the world rankings in second and third place by Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland and Jon Rahm of Spain. Further into the top ten is the steadfast fourth-place standing of Norway’s Viktor Hovland, indicative of a sustained level of performance and unchanged from the previous week. This consistency among the upper reaches of the rankings indicates a consistency in performances throughout the sport over the last couple of weeks. Focusing on the rest of the top ten, England’s Matt Fitzpatrick remains in eighth place. The presence of several nationalities in this segment of the world rankings highlights the global nature of competitive golf. Notably absent since the last ranking update is any change in the top ten, suggesting a temporary pause in the typically dynamic shifts towards the end of the year.

This text was created with the help ofAI.

Categories
Highlights Tours Team USA

2023 Ryder Cup: Xander Schauffele, the Olympic champion on Team USA

Ryder Cup 2023: Xander Schauffele part of Team USA (Photo: Getty)
Ryder Cup 2023: Xander Schauffele part of Team USA (Photo: Getty)

The 29-year-old American Xander Schauffele is currently the third best American in the world rankings. In the past season he was not able to win, but due to permanent strong performances he secures a place in Team USA for the Ryder Cup 2023 in Rome. In 2021, he was already part of the team that is currently the reigning Ryder Cup winner thanks to a historically high victory.

Xander Schauffele at the Ryder Cup 2023

Without missing the cut in the past PGA Tour season and with ten top-10 finishes, Xander Schauffele is currently one of the best golfers in the world. Thanks to these achievements, he was one of six players to qualify for the 2023 Ryder Cup via the points ranking. In 2021, he traveled with the team as a captain’s pick; this year, he is a seeded player.

Schauffele did not manage a victory this season. He just missed his eighth PGA Tour victory at the Wells Fargo Championship, finishing second. But his consistency made him stand out, not missing a cut in the 2022/23 season. A total of ten top-10 finishes, including the Masters and the US Open, prove his strength. He finished in the top 20 at each of the other two major tournaments. 17 top 25 finishes in 21 tournaments is a statistic that is more than respectable.

Xander Schauffele: A team player at the Ryder Cup

When Xander Schauffele made his Ryder Cup debut the year before last, he won all his matches with his team partners and earned important points for his team. He was only defeated in the singles match, but that was against none other than Rory McIlroy.

He scored his first point together with his teammate and also member of this year’s team Patrick Cantlay, against McIlroy and Poulter in the foursome. On the same day, he competed again, this time together with Dustin Johnson in the four-ball against Casey and Wiesberger, and earned the second point for Team USA. He had to admit defeat against Rory McIlroy after 16 holes. A promising statistic for the Ryder Cup 2023 in Rome.

Xander Schauffele’s greatest achievements and prize money

Schauffele joined the PGA Tour in 2017. In his debut season, he won the Greenbrier Classic and his supposed biggest success, the Tour Championship to close the season. It was an introduction to the PGA Tour that made an impression. He repeated his performance the following season, winning the Sentry Tournament of Champions and the World Golf Championship, two tournaments again. He then had his most successful year in the 2021/22 season in which he claimed a whopping three victories. The Genesis Scottish Open, the Zurich Classic of New Orleans and one of the most prestigious tournaments, the Travelers Championship. In addition, he won the gold medal for the USA at the 2020 Olympic Games.

In the past season, he won prize money of around 8.5 million dollars, in addition to 6.5 million for second place in the final tournament, the Tour Championship. In his entire career, he has finished in the top 10 50 times in 160 tournaments, 37 of them in the top 5, and with a total of seven victories on the PGA Tour, he has won almost 40 million dollars in prize money.

A look inside Xander Schauffele’s bag for the 2023 Ryder Cup

The reigning Olympic champion will be using the latest models from his sponsor Callaway at the Ryder Cup. The drivers and woods of the Paradym series are also convincing for the American and he gets the Triple Diamond models in his bag. This variant is designed especially for high swing speeds and is intended to generate that little bit of extra length. In addition, he supplements the long game with the Callaway Apex UW Hybrid as an option for hitting from the fairway. For irons, Schauffele relies on the Callaway Apex TCB. The 2021 Cavity Back Players irons get the most out of Schauffele’s shot with a cavity behind the face. When it comes to wedges, the American then uses a smorgasbord of different brands and models. With 52 degrees, the Callaway Jaws Raw are represented, for the sand wedge he relies on the Titleist Vokey SM6 and as a lob wedge he also uses the WedgeWork Lobwedge from Titleist. The Toulon putter in a prototype version completes the bag. As a playing ball, he chooses the top model from Callaway and thus relies on the Callaway Chrome Soft X.

Categories
Panorama

Asian Tour announces Saudi sponsored tournament series: England to host

Asian Tour hosts Tournament in UK (foto: Getty)

This week, the Asian Tour hosts the Saudi International in Saudi Arabia. Lured by big entry fees, some high-profile players like Phil Mickelson and Xander Schauffele are competing at the Royal Greens Golf & Country Club. Now the Asian Tour, funded by LIV Golf Investments, is announcing an international tournament series for 2022/23. A tournament will also be held in England.

Asian Tour tournament series starts in Thailand

The “International Series” consists of ten tournaments and will start in Thailand next March. In June, the tournament series will even move to England to the Centurion Club, which is located near London. The tournament series is financed by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund and is to receive a total subsidy of 300 million dollars from this fund. This info was announced by former world number one Greg Norman at the Saudi International this week, and he is also rumored to be the chairman for the “International Series.”

“International Series” in conflict with PGA and DP World Tour.

This week’s Saudi International and the accompanying high entry fees for participants already caused unrest on the other tours. While the DP World Tour finally allowed the participation for its members, the PGA Tour set up obligations to be met in case of participation. Thus, some well-known players, including players such as defending champion Dustin Johnson or Phil Mickelson will start in Saudi Arabia. The “International Series” could also cause conflicts between the professional tours. The tournament in England will take place just one week before the start of the US Open, which could possibly lead to preparation difficulties for participants should they wish to take part in both tournaments.

Plans for the future criticized


LIV Golf Investment is also behind the planned Saudi Super League. The $300 million partnership with the Asian Tour indicates that plans for this Super League are becoming more concrete, with the tournament series on the Asian Tour as a possible initial test run. Such a “Super League,” as well as participation in the Saudi Internationals, has been heavily criticized publicly because of Saudi Arabia’s very poor human rights record.

Categories
Professionals

PGA Tour: Xander Schauffele Speaks Following Playoff loss at 2020 Tournament of Champions

KAPALUA, HAWAII - JANUARY 05: Xander Schauffele of the United States plays his shot from the 13th tee during the final round of the Sentry Tournament Of Champions at the Kapalua Plantation Course on January 05, 2020 in Kapalua, Hawaii. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Post tournament interview with runner up finisher Xander Schauffele at the PGA Tour’s 2020 Tournament of Champions.

Q. What a day for you. How would you describe the emotions of this playoff?
XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Yeah, windy. Very up and down. I was happy with the way I played in regulation. I should have won the tournament. I know it. Everyone knows it. I mean, J.T. was right there, but under the circumstances I should have closed it off, and I didn’t. I kind of did everything I was supposed to do until the last moment, which sucks. But this is another learning experience, and I guess I’ll have to work on some wind putting.

Q. Can you walk me through that putt in regulation?
XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Yeah, I think I got gusted, honestly. On the initial putt, it went — I honestly thought it was going to go like four feet by, but it caught some speed, and once it started breaking right with the wind, it kept going. I was so convinced that it was going to go back right to left coming back up the hill, but it really wasn’t going to do that. It was just bad.

Q. You mentioned a learning experience. What will be your takeaway from this week?
XANDER SCHAUFFELE: I can win. I think that’s pretty plain and simple. I’m good enough to hang with the best, and I just need to be a little bit smarter when the time is right and able to close it out.

Q. Heck of a defense today. I know you’re disappointed, but it looked like you kind of fought back on the back nine. What turned it around for you there?
XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Yeah, it was windy. That stretch of holes J.T. went 4- or 5-under through, I’d like to see anyone else try it. He was hitting ridiculous shots, making good putts in the wind, and he deserved the lead he got, and I just kept telling Austin let’s play smart, stay patient. We finished last year with a bunch of birdies, and we were able to do the same this year.

Q. You had a couple of chances in regulation and then in the playoff. Just tough putts there at 18?
XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Yeah, it was kind of stupid on my part. I trusted the wind a lot. I got gusted a little bit on that first putt and was convinced that it was right to left kind of coming back even though it was a pretty straight putt. I was a little dumbfounded when I missed the hole by half a cup. If I had maybe took a little more time, maybe called Austin in, just stuff in the moment that I wasn’t really aware of. I was doing great all day until probably that moment. Same thing in the playoff. I was kind of spooked by my first putt going so far by, I left my playoff putt 25 feet short. It was just childish, and you try to learn from it.

Q. How would you assess how the day played out today?
XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Yeah, I’m happy for the most part. J.T. sort of had a little present there on 18. I think I’m more than capable of two-putting from about 35 feet. Obviously it was a little windy. My downhill, downwind putts today I’ve hit by all day, so why not do it again to try and win the tournament. It was just a little childish, I think. I think I held on pretty decent. J.T. had an incredible stretch of golf through some difficult holes to gain a lead, and I started birdieing the easier holes to try and claw back into it, and it was a whirlwind day.

Q. You’ve won a lot of golf tournaments, but you’ve also had your fair share of disappointments. How disappointing is this one?
XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Yeah, I think that’s the problem, I haven’t really won enough. I’ve only won four tournaments. It would have been nice to be a little more mature at the right time, sort of assessing the wind and the downhill speed. Just realizing that I’ve been hitting it long all day. I didn’t think about it at all and I managed to hit my winning putt eight feet by and then misreading the second one due to the wind. Just sort of a rookie move trying to close out a tournament, and I’ll definitely try to draw back on this in a positive way when the time is right.

Q. That also begs the question, what positives do you take out of this week?
XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Yeah, that I can win. I think I’m plenty good. I don’t see why I shouldn’t keep playing great golf. This sucks. Maybe I need just a kick in the ass to sort of wake up and do the right things most of the time. Yeah, this kind of burns a little bit, but overall happy with how I handled myself.

Full Leaderboard Tournament of Champions 2020

Q. I think it’s the first time since ’99 and Tiger that someone has gotten that close to their two title defenses. Can you just run through obviously being so close?
XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Yeah, just sort of a rookie move. I think my awareness — in all honesty I was pretty calm all day. I didn’t feel much nerves. The first time I sort of felt nerves was walking down 18, which is different than the past, so that’s a good sign if I’m trying to find the positives. If I was more aware I would have realized that I’ve blown all my downhill, downwind putts, and Austin told me it’s going to be a helping wind once the ball starts breaking with the wind, it’s going to start moving, and I kind of got gusted. I thought it was going to be like three, four feet by and it ended up going six or seven with that extra trickle. It was just sort of a rookie move, not really being aware of where I was and what I did in the past, I guess.

Q. How proud are you of the way you fought back today?
XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Yeah, it was just comfortable again. I just needed someone to get out ahead of me so I could chase them down. I mean, if you look at the stretch of holes J.T. went birdieing through, it was an unbelievable stretch of holes. 9 is a birdie hole, 10 was tricky, 11 was tricky. All those downwind holes are so tricky. I thought J.T. played an incredible stretch of golf through that stretch. I wasn’t too worried about it. I was waiting for my turn.

January 5, 2020

Kapalua, Maui, Hawai

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports