Xander Schauffele heads into the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black as somewhat of an unknown commodity.
Schauffele is currently ranked as the fourth best player in the world but that isn’t reflective of his form in 2025 ahead of the Ryder Cup.
The 31-year-old was in sensational form in 2024, winning two major championships on his way to cementing his position as one of the best golfers on the planet.
However, his form nosedived in 2025 after he suffered an injury at the start of the season.
Schauffele’s worrying form ahead of the Ryder Cup has not improved, and as bizarre as it sounds, there is a genuine belief that he could be a weak link for the United States team.
There certainly hasn’t been much for him to be positive about over the past six months or so.
Schauffele skipped the Procore Championship two weeks ago after his wife gave birth to their child.
And as a result, it has been suggested that he may be lacking match sharpness, so to speak.
Xander Schauffele reacts to how he’s been playing during Ryder Cup practice
Schauffele, on his day, is capable of beating every single golfer in the world.
However, the problem for him is that he hasn’t shown any kind of consistent form whatsoever this season.
So, how does he feel about his game with the Ryder Cup now just three days away from starting?
Schauffele addressed the media at Bethpage on Tuesday, and responded when asked how he has been playing during practice.
He said: “Yeah, it’s been awesome. I just had a kid. He was born on the 29th of August, little man. His name is Victor. That’s my middle name. No, I didn’t name him after Viktor Hovland. I was Victor way before Viktor was born.
“It’s been awesome. I feel very lucky to have my wife. She’s at home with him right now. I miss him a bunch. I had to sort of rip the Band-Aid when I was leaving the house, just kiss him on the forehead and walk out before I started staring at him. It’s been cool to sort of learn what it’s like to be a dad, and I look forward to everything that comes with that.
“Golf-wise, obviously didn’t do a whole lot of golf for a bit, having him and trying to be a good teammate to my wife, because that’s kind of all us guys can do early on. I feel like after these two days, surprisingly playing kind of nice. I know, I surprised myself when I came out.
“It was funny to get some texts from captain and a lot of assistant caps like hey, how you doing? Because I wasn’t able to make Napa. But it was good to prepare at home on what was limited sleep but sort of a much clearer head than in season.“
Xander Schauffele’s Ryder Cup record
Schauffele is relatively inexperienced when it comes to the Ryder Cup.
He has played just eight matches in total spread over two appearances.
Here are his results from the two Ryder Cups he has competed in:
| Results | Schauffele’s totals |
| Matches played | 8 |
| Wins | 4 |
| Losses | 4 |
| Defeats | 0 |
| Total points | 4 |
Schauffele will obviously be very keen to improve upon that record at the Ryder Cup this week.
However, whether his game cooperates remains to be seen.
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