Scottie Scheffler has shared what struck him about Xander Schauffele during a practice round ahead of the Olympics, as he opened up on the player of the year vote which is likely to come down to the two Americans.
Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele are likely to be the two favourites to win Olympic gold in the coming days, with the world number one and two winning three of the year’s four majors between them.
Heading into July, it appeared nailed on that Scheffler would be named the PGA Tour player of the year, with the 28-year-old becoming the first player since Arnold Palmer in 1962 to win six times in a season before the end of June.
But it says everything about how good Schauffele has been that there is even a debate to be had. Of course, he has now won the PGA Championship as well as The Open. And he is the defending champion at Le Golf National and boasts an outstanding record at East Lake ahead of the Tour Championship.
Scottie Scheffler shares what he noticed about Xander Schauffele in practice round
Some think Scheffler would trade years with Schauffele due to the latter’s two major wins. But speaking in his press conference ahead of the Olympic event, Scheffler insisted that he is not concerned about the player of the season honour right now, while he also lauded Schauffele.
“I try not to think about it. I’ve had a pretty good year and Xander has had a pretty good year as well. It’s for people to vote on. I’m proud of the year that I’ve had and the consistent results,” he said.
“Xander is another player that’s extremely consistent. I love seeing people like him have success because he does it the right way. He works hard. He’s not full of himself.
“We were praying a practice round today and I was actually thinking about it like, man, Xander is the exact same today after winning a tournament as he was if he had lost the tournament by one. Like he was the exact same person.
“We were having such a good time with the guys playing the practice round, I thought to myself, this guy, won two majors this year, we were just out there cutting it up. Things were still the same. You wouldn’t know that he won The Open or Collin won the PGA. We were all out there cutting it up, having a good time.
“That’s why I love seeing people that do things the right way, work hard and have success.
“I’m extremely happy for him and that’s one of the great joys I have out here competing with my buddies is being able to celebrate good moments like that with him and hopefully showing up this week and have a moment for myself.”
Golf’s next great rivalry?
Golf fans are being spoilt right now, with the number of world-class players within the game – many of whom currently find themselves on two major titles, with Scheffler and Schauffele on that list. Collin Morikawa, Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and Justin Thomas are also looking for their third title in 2025.
Based on this year, it would appear that Scheffler and Schauffele are going to be involved in the rivalry which will define the next few years on the PGA Tour, and it is going to be very interesting to see which player ends up having the better career.
Certainly, you could make a compelling case that either has been the best player on the planet this year.
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