What Steve Stricker once said to Xander Schaffuele before he had even made his major championship debut

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By the time Xander Schauffele turned up for sectional qualifying for the 2017 US Open, the PGA Tour rookie had already missed six cuts since the turn of the year and had not had a top 10 on the big stage since October the previous year.

It seems remarkable to think now, with Xander Schauffele the second best player on the planet, but the 31-year-old went into 2017 still awaiting his first major championship appearance. Having been promoted to the PGA Tour late in 2016, Schauffele was still finding his feet at the highest level.

He therefore, had to take part in qualifying to make that year’s US Open at Erin Hills. And it turned out that he was playing alongside Steve Stricker, who, by that stage, was at the opposite end of his career.

What Steve Stricker told Xander Schauffele ahead of his major championship debut

Nevertheless, the pair both qualified, with Stricker winning at that particular qualifier with a score of 10 under par, while Schauffele made it by shooting seven under par. And speaking on The Smylie Show, Schauffele shared the incredibly encouraging words from Stricker after the event.

“I get to the Monday qualifier for Erin Hills in Wisconsin, it was sick. I got to play 36 holes with Steve Stricker and this is where my pro career kicked off in my head. I was like I get to play with Steve Stricker who is going to bust his ass and qualify for this US Open. Nothing is going to stop him,” he said.

“It was so cool to watch him play and the way he played. He got off to a mellow start. It was 36 holes and he was one over or even maybe through 11 and then all of a sudden he just goes on a tear! I was sitting there like crying if I didn’t get off to a good start. So that was such an important day. I ended up going to a play-off the next morning and ended up playing like 40 holes.

“But Stricker pulled me aside after we signed cards and gave me some really nice words saying you’re so good, I don’t think you realise how good you are, you are going to be incredible, just stay focused and don’t let anything bother you.”

How Schauffele fared at the 2017 US Open

You would not think that that US Open would prove to be the first major of Schauffele’s career based on how he went on to play. He was tied for second place after the opening round in Wisconsin, and he remained in the top 10 after each of the four rounds as Brooks Koepka went on to win by four.

Schauffele meanwhile, finished in a tie for fifth on 10 under par. That would prove to be the start of an incredible run in the major championships for the American. He has now finished in the top five on eight occasions. Meanwhile, he has 15 top 10s in 30 starts in majors across his career.

Of course, the highlights came when he won the PGA Championship and The Open Championship earlier this year.

Stricker – who would captain Schauffele at the 2021 Ryder Cup – was certainly proved right with his prediction about his playing partner seven years ago.