AUGUSTA, Ga. — After securing two of the four major championships in what was a breakout 2024, Xander Schauffele found himself in a maddening position at the beginning of this year.
After suffering an intercostal strain and a cartilage tear to his ribcage during the offseason, the then-No. 2 player in the world tried to play through it at the Sentry Invitational. He realized, however, that he needed more time and rehab.
Between spending more time with his wife and dogs and binge-watching TV shows, Schauffele also tuned in to golf and could only look on as his peers attempted to win tournaments he couldn’t.
“I’ve never really dealt with injury before, so I’ve never really been sidelined,” Schauffele said Monday at Augusta National. “I’m trying to find all the positives to attach to the situation, and me not being hurt before and sitting at home thinking all these thoughts.
“… Watching everyone else play golf and sort of fly by me, it’s been very motivating.”
While Schauffele did his best to stay patient amid the healing process, the reigning PGA Championship and Open Championship winner watched as Rory McIlroy surpassed him for No. 2 in the Official World Golf Ranking following wins at Pebble Beach and the Players Championship.
“Rory has been playing unbelievably well this year with a couple wins already and kind of breezing through what looks like hard golf courses,” Schauffele said. “There’s so many guys that have played at a really high level, and luckily I’ve learned that I can play at that level, too.”
Schauffele returned at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill and has played a total of four events leading up to the Masters. Though he’s still rounding into form, he made all four cuts and, two weeks ago, finished tied for 12th at the Valspar Invitational.
He credited his finish there to letting himself swing more freely and not feeling as if he were holding onto a steering wheel so tightly.
“It’s been a process to get back to that,” Schauffele said. “I don’t have a ton of reps doing it, but there’s a lot for me to draw back on, sort of previous accomplishments to sort of let that confidence grow.”
Mentally, Schauffele said he believes he has turned a corner in the past month after going through what he referred to as a grieving process — where he’s run the gamut of emotions regarding his injury, including anger, disappointment, frustration and acceptance.
Now, Schauffele is starting to allow himself to think of what he can do — including winning a third major — instead of what he can’t.
“I’d like to think I feel similar. I don’t really wake up and feel more accomplished. I feel like the same guy,” Schauffele said. “I think the big difference will be when I get in those spots. My dream is just to give myself another chance coming down the stretch.
“I think I said that after the PGA, at The Open: If I can get myself in a spot to win this thing, I feel pretty good about doing it, and I did it. I think that kind of goes for every major I play in now. If I can get myself in a good spot … I’m going to fail at times, but man, I think I can deal with it a lot better than I used to be able to before, before winning.”
From being one of the best players to never win a major to winning two in the span of a month, the Schauffele narrative has flipped quickly. The topic of completing the Grand Slam at some point in his career is a feat that now appears feasible. It helps that Augusta, which he said makes him feel like “a kid in a candy shop,” has proved to be a place that fits his game.
“Believe it or not, [winning the Grand Slam] was always a thought before I won any of them,” said Schauffele, who has four top-10 finishes at the Masters since 2019. “It’s a lot cooler to be a lot closer to that dream of mine at 31 versus 35 or 36 [and] not having won one.”
