Almost no one on the PGA Tour has experienced the array of ups and downs, exhilaration and uncertainty that has flown at Xander Schauffele the last five years.
Starting in 2017, the former Aztec won four times in a year and a half. He needed more than three years to top the Tour leaderboard again. In between, he won an individual gold medal at the 2020 Olympics. He was a member of the winning U.S. team at the 2021 Ryder Cup.
There was a string of near misses at majors with a tie for second in the 2018 British Open, another knotted runner-up finish at the 2019 Masters and a tie for third the following month at the U.S. Open. He made a strong run on the back nine at the 2021 Masters, only to hit into the water at the 16th hole and wind up tied for third.
Schauffele has grabbed the big check at two of the last six Tour events, starting at April’s Zurich Classic with partner Patrick Cantlay and ending with last weekend’s Travelers.
There’s also the tug of the Saudi-backed, cash-flush, controversy-soaked LIV Golf series.
The lot of it would send anyone scrambling for the Alka-Seltzer.
“I’m not sure anything clicked,” Schauffele said to the Union-Tribune on Wednesday. “Almost the opposite. What you have is a good feeling about things. Talking to my dad, he thought I was messing around with my swing too much, tinkering too much.
“I did the opposite at the Travelers. I was worried about process, rather than anything golf-swing related.”
Schauffele has become a potential central character in the tug-o-war for players between the PGA Tour and LIV. As marquee names like Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed bolted for the blizzard of bucks and far less taxing schedule, top stars like Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and Schauffele have stayed.
Schauffele said he met with PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan to gauge and share expectations.
“At my age, I’m all for making the Tour better,” said Schauffele, 28. “I met Jay for some transparency about plans for the Tour moving forward. I think he’s leading us in the right direction.
“I feel like pas a lot of money is one thing. But at the same time, I feel young and I want to keep playing against the best. And the best are still playing on the PGA Tour.”
Torrey Pines High alum Pat Perez bounced to LIV and will play his first event this week outside Portland. He told media he was focused on the game and attractive schedule, rather than the well-documented human rights morass of the Saudis.
Perez, who turned down a recent U-T interview request through his father, told media in advance of his debut tournament, “I don’t have any concerns. I’m playing golf.”
The PGA Tour does not care about Perez, of course. He’s 46 and ranked 170th in the world. Schauffele, though, is No. 11 and a consistent contender for titles and international teams.
The uncomfortable ripples remain, though.
“Unfortunately, this has fractured our sport, there’s no two ways to look at it,” Schauffele said. “It does bum me out. There are recognizable players who left, major winners, former No. 1s. I want to play against those guys.
“I told Jay that I’m all in (with the PGA Tour) if things keep moving in the right direction. But I also said I’ll have to reassess as time goes on. I don’t want to be left on a non-competitive tour.”
The main focus for Schauffele has shifted to the British Open, July 14-17 at venerable St. Andrews. He leaves Friday for prep work at Ireland’s JP McManus Pro-Am.
Could the Travelers win be a springboard?
“Each and every individual week is different,” he said. “I try to prepare for each week in a similar light, but depending on course conditions and weather there, there are so many variables. You’re playing a links course. It’s not as predictable to put a number on something out there.
“Anything can happen, especially at a British Open. You have to stay focused and not worry about a crazy wind gust or bad break. But (winning the Travelers) doesn’t hurt me.”
Schauffele frames the 2018 Open at Carnoustie as his best shot to capture a major. He began the final round with a piece of the 54-hole lead before finishing in a four-way tie for second behind sco Molinari.
As Schauffele weighed the five-year run, he brought up the talk about his previous struggles to close out 54-hole leads.
“I did that in Japan (at the 2020 Olympics),” he said. “The monkey jumped off my back there. But it was quite some time. That’s where the cherry on top comes from with this one (at the Travelers).”
A crazy five years? No one has to tell Schauffele that.
