World number three Xander Schauffele will be looking to bounce back from injury with a bang as he goes in search of his first green jacket at The Masters.
Schauffele has made his way back to the golf course having missed time through injury earlier in 2025 and while he’s not at his best just yet, he’ll be hoping things click at Augusta National.
Having seen Rory McIlroy overtake him to become world number two and Scottie Scheffler be so successful over a prolonged period, Schauffele has had time to dwell on things while at home.
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Indeed, Schauffele has admitted that he has been paying attention to both McIlroy and Scheffler, as he praised the duo ahead of this week’s tournament.
How Xander Schauffele felt watching Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler while injured
Speaking at his first pre-Masters press conference, Xander Schauffele was asked about being injured and how he’d looked on at Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler’s performances while side-lined.
However, instead of sulking, Schauffele admitted it gave him a boost in a way.
“Just motivating. Yeah, like I said, there’s so many guys that have played at a really high level, and luckily I’ve learned that I can play at that level,” Schauffele admitted.
“More motivating than anything else. They’ve been playing incredible golf. Rory has been playing unbelievably well this year with a couple wins already and kind of breezing through what looks like hard golf courses. And it’s just what happens when you’re a really good player and you put things together. That’s sort of what happens. Luckily I was able to do that last year, and there’s no reason I can’t do it again.”
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Xander Schauffele explains how he felt while being injured
As Schauffele was out injured, he could be forgiven for thinking that he’d been a tad unlucky given his rise in 2024 and his double major wins.
However, in an open and honest assessment, Schauffele admitted he didn’t feel unlucky, but more a bit silly at one point.
“Definitely didn’t feel unlucky. I felt dumb at one point sort of being at the brunt of it’s my fault. Felt a little unprofessional, felt irresponsible and I felt sad. Then I was motivated, then I felt sad again. Then motivated finally,” he admitted.
| 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
| T50th | T2nd | T17th | T3rd | CUT | T10th | 8th |
“I don’t know if there’s like a grieving process, but I kind of dealt with it on my own. Like I said, I knew I was going to come back and play, I just didn’t know when. When it comes to feel, I feel like I’m a kid. I just want to go out and play golf and compete at a high level, and that was stripped away from me.
“Luckily I have a very supportive wife and family to keep me entertained during the downtime.”
Schauffele’s best finish at Augusta National came back in 2019 when he finished outright second.
In the last two years, he’s finished inside the top 10, making him a firm and strong bet for those fancying the American to win that first green jacket.
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