Kyle Porter says what Xander Schauffele did last year which was so much harder than many even realise

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While 2024 was Scottie Scheffler’s year, there is no question that this season is also going to be looked back upon as a real turning point in the career of Xander Schauffele – with the American winning two major titles.

It has been apparent for some time that Xander Schauffele is one of the best players on the planet right now, with his consistency in the major championships proving that he most definitely had the game to one of the sport’s biggest events.

However, the one question over Schauffele heading into 2024 was whether he had the mental game to get across the line, with a couple of very close calls over the years. Schauffele went into 2024 having finished in the top five on six occasions in the majors.

And when he failed to win the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow earlier this year, those questions came to the fore again. However, Schauffele silenced his doubters within a week as he then went on to win the PGA Championship, seeing off a challenge from Bryson DeChambeau down the stretch at Valhalla.

Xander Schauffele praised for decision taken in 2023

Of course, the world number two would not be done there, as he also won The Open at Royal Troon. At that stage, there was a real argument that many players would rather have Schauffele’s year over Scheffler’s.

So what has changed for Schauffele over the last 12 months? Schauffele has added a remarkable amount of clubhead speed, while golf writer Kyle Porter has told Fried Egg Golf that he deserves real plaudits for a change to his backroom team.

“The one that, honestly, stood out to me the most this year was Xander changing swing coaches, moving from his dad over to Chris Como, was that at the end of 2023 I think? And so, that’s a different input that yielded an uncommon result, and it’s a harder thing to do than people realise to move away from what you’ve always done, something that got you to be a top five player in the world,” he said.

“We’ve seen Bryson do this, ‘I’m going to give this up, I’m going to give this away in the hope that this other thing will take me to where I want to go’.”

A game-changer

It really feels as if Schauffele winning those two majors could open all sorts of doors for the 30-year-old, as he gets himself into good positions on so many occasions. He finished in the top 10 at all four majors this year.

Some believe Schauffele could go on and win six majors in his career, which would be some achievement considering how much depth there is within the current game. He is one of a number of superb players currently on two majors.

The coaching change could have obviously backfired, with Viktor Hovland one example of a player who struggled this year after making some big decisions. But it appears that switching to Chris Como allowed Schauffele to take that final step.