Xander Schauffele must have been so frustrated when it became apparent that the rib injury he was dealing with was clearly going to take him out of action for some time.
There really appeared to be a sense that Xander Schauffele was going to be one to watch on the PGA Tour in 2025. He was one of the only players to outshine Scottie Scheffler in a single category last year, with the world number three winning two of the four majors.
Within the space of a few months, Schauffele has moved ahead in the race for the career grand slam. And the two majors remaining on his wishlist – The Masters and the US Open – are the two where he previously had the best record.
Unfortunately, fans are yet to see the best of the 31-year-old since his return. He finished 72nd at The Players Championship and never really looked like contending at any of his other three appearances this year.
Xander Schauffele showing very positive signs ahead of The Masters
But something did appear to click for Schauffele in his most recent tournament – the Valspar Championship.
The American finished tied for 12th at Innisbrook. And it was clear that it was the quality of his iron play which catapulted him up the leaderboard, with Schauffele gaining more than 11 shots with his approaches across the week.
Speaking on The Second Cut Podcast, Greg DuCharme noted that that has to make Schauffele a serious contender to put himself high on the leaderboard at Augusta National this week.
“Xander Schauffele is our most recent major champion. And Xander’s someone interesting to keep an eye on, because, one, his major championship record in general, even before his two wins, is stout, and, like Scottie, he’s come back with a little bit of rust. But he did something incredible at the Valspar Championship, absolutely incredible. He had the best of his entire career, of Xander Schauffele’s entire career, his best performance with his irons,” he said.
“It was the best approach performance of the year, 2025, by any golfer in the world,” Rick Gehman added.
“That’s our most recent major champion who we have seen nothing from, because of injury. And he comes into this championship now I think with something to build on. The thing for Xander is this is going to come down to his touch – his short game and his putting. He’s been so well rounded in those areas. In Florida, he was not very good around the greens, he was not very good on the greens. Usually, when you’re thinking of an injury, I’m worried about what’s going to happen tee to green. That’s not an issue. The issue is can he get his short game sharp enough, and if he does, he’s a real factor, a very real factor with Scottie not seeming to be 100 percent – although, like Mark said, he’s trending to it – Rory McIlroy with his issues here, Xander Schauffele fits that mould perfectly. It’s fascinating,” DuCharme added.
Xander Schauffele’s remarkable Masters record as he awaits first win at Augusta National
The consistency of Schauffele’s performances in the majors is truly staggering.
His record in the US Open appears to be one you need to check over and over again to believe, with seven top 10s in eight appearances across his career.
Meanwhile, his Masters performance is not bad either, with four top 10s in the last six years. He finished second to Tiger Woods in 2019, while he was third two years later.
Schauffele has the same number of top 10s at The Masters as he does at the PGA Championship and The Open Championship combined.
And while his preparation for the first major of the year has been far from ideal, it would not surprise anyone to see him move to within one win of the career grand slam in just a few days.
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