When Xander Schauffele first dipped his golfing toes into PGA Tour waters, the questions far outnumbered the birdies. Where-to-go stuff. What-to-do stuff.
Everything-under-the-sun stuff.
Schauffele leaned on another San Diego-area guy, veteran Charley Hoffman of Poway. The text messages flew as he the younger player tried to find his footing among the best club-swinging players on the planet.
“I think a lot of it was sort of as a rookie you really are just thrown out into the big scene,” Schauffele said Friday, after playing an even-par round with Hoffman that left him in a tie for 10th at 7-under following the third round of the Farmers Insurance Open. “… I would text Charley where registration was, where player parking is, where the first tee was, where the locker room was, all that kind of stuff.
“He would respond. Yeah, he’d jab at me a few times, but for the most part he was super helpful.”
The geographic bridge linked a long golf relationship as the pair played hundreds of rounds at Grand Del Mar, The Farms and Rancho Santa Fe Country Club.
The 17-year age difference — Hoffman is 47, Schauffele is 30 — created unique clay from which to discuss and dissect the game while fueling a healthy bit of trash talk.
“He definitely still calls me old man,” Hoffman said after a rough-and-tumble round of plus-7 that ended with double-bogey, bogey at Torrey Pines South. “I mean, I am the old man out here now. But when I’m healthy, I can still hit it out there pretty good.
“But yeah, If either of us see an opening, we’ll take advantage, that’s for sure.”
Golf has been a golden magic-carpet ride for both. Schauffele, ranked No. 5 in the world, has won seven times on Tour while banking more than $40 million. Hoffman owns four wins while pocketing $33.5 million and change.
Along the way, they have shared more tee-box space and eyeballed more putts together than they can count.
“Oh, my gosh, a lot, a lot of holes, yeah,” said Schuffele, the San Diego State grad, when asked to hazard a guess. “Still now when I’m in town in San Diego, I’ll hit him up and we’ll go play. … It was a very comfy pairing with him.”
Hoffman strapped in for a roller-coaster ride, going bogey-birdie-bogey to start the round. On Nos. 7-10, he followed back-to-back bogeys with back-to-back birdies.
Schauffele, meanwhile, found himself in the holding-it-together business on a day when scoring mostly was stifled.
Limit the mistakes. Bide your time. Wait to pounce.
“I felt I was pretty much slacking on the front nine, I looked up on the board and I was kind of holding my position,” said Schauffele, who sits four strokes back of leader Stephan Jaeger. “(Caddy) Austin (Kaiser) told me to sort of hang tough, the hot round of the day was (4) under, so I knew I was close.”
The toughness between the ears that Schauffele has harnessed is unique, Hoffman said.
“His mental game is pretty strong,” he said. “That’s what impresses me the most.”
A tricky Friday delivered a looping lap.
“It’s always great to play with somebody when you know their game,” Hoffman said. “But neither of us played very well, so it’s a little disappointing, to say the least, in front of the hometown crowd.”
The old guy impressed the young guy, in spite of the rocky landing.
“He’s actually hitting it pretty far, I thought,” Schauffele said. “He outdrove me a few times today. I didn’t tell him I hit my drive solid. I didn’t want to give him that satisfaction, but I was pretty shocked how far he’s hitting it.
“I’m just glad he’s feeling better and healthy.”
The two shared stories and smiles tee after tee, underscoring a comfort level that only can be forged through attacking pins together for so long.
A friendship built along the fairway.
“We’re out here competing, but we’re friends when it’s said and done,” Hoffman said. “We’ve played a ton together.”
The San Diego pair, as comfy together as sand and surfboards.
“I’m pulling for him,” Schauffele said. “I want him to play really well. Charley sort of mentored me when I was growing up here on the PGA Tour. It’s always nice to see him and compete against him.”
The lessons extend both directions.
“I learned how to practice as well,” Schauffele said of Hoffman. “I’d watch Charley practice and see how he prepared for events. He’s been out here for such a long time and there’s something to that.”
Does Schauffele still pull the old-man card out of the bag?
“Yeah, when necessary,” he said.
Schauffele grinned wide. The edge is still there. The respect, too.
For both, there’s still more golf to play.
