Xander Schauffele admits how he felt after he heard Scottie Scheffler had to withdraw from The Sentry with injury

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Xander Schauffele leads the way in the 60-strong field taking on The Sentry at Kapalua in Hawaii this week.

Schauffele is favourite to win The Sentry, with the world number two having lifted the trophy back in the 2019 PGA Tour season.

He came close to repeating that feat in 2020, but fell short in a three-man play-off as Justin Thomas emerged victorious.

Thomas, also in the field this week, is a two-time winner of The Sentry, with last year’s champion Chris Kirk also involved.

But there is no place for world number one Scottie Scheffler, who has withdrawn due to a freak injury over Christmas.

How Xander Schauffele feels about Scottie Scheffler missing The Sentry

Scheffler underwent hand surgery after a broken glass wounded his right palm, forcing him out of the PGA Tour season opener.

His compatriot Schauffele has now shared his reaction to the withdrawal, saying in his pre-tournament press conference: “It’s a huge bummer. I hope he’s okay.

READ MORE: The Sentry 2025: Field, tee times, payout and more as new PGA Tour season gets underway with Signature Event

“I heard he was going to be back for American Express, then you hear he has surgery. I didn’t feel too comfortable texting him.

“It’s weird, because we’re competitors, but at the same time he’s such a nice guy, him and Mere. I just hope he’s fine. We’re a lot better off with him here in Hawaii than not, so hopefully he gets a full recovery and he’s fine.”

Xander Schauffele calls Scottie Scheffler a ‘beast’ after 2024 PGA Tour season

Scheffler deservedly clinched the 2024 PGA Tour Player of the Season award, having won seven titles last time out.

One came at The Masters, although he was outshone by Schauffele in the major season, with the world number two winning the PGA Championship and The Open Championship.

READ MORE: Who is Xander Schauffele? A look at the life of a two-time major winner

Asked if his achievements may have gone under the radar given what Scheffler accomplished, Schauffele said: “Yeah, yeah, just kind of cruising around right where I want to be. It’s a wild time.

“Winning two majors and being further away, or closer to the 30th-ranked player than the 1st is… hats off to Scottie. He’s a beast.

“Just based on the numbers I looked at this off-season. He just kept winning, even in sort of his downtime, he won another event, which pushed him even further away. So it’s one of my goals that will just have to stay on the calendar for a few more years.”

And asked if he thinks it will take that long, he responded: “If I get there I’ll be very happy but, you know… I try not to be too results-based, but just based on looking at the numbers and what I’m told, yeah, it’s going to take some time and some patience.”

Time and patience, along with plenty of hard work, will be needed to surpass the world’s best, but Schauffele has a fantastic chance to get one over his fellow professional in Hawaii this week.