Xander Schauffele admits why he was ‘super excited’ despite losing to Rory McIlroy at the Wells Fargo Championship earlier this year

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It is easy to forget now, but there really appeared to be a big question mark over Xander Schauffele’s ability to get across the line after the Wells Fargo Championship at Quail Hollow earlier this year, with the 31-year-old finishing five shots behind Rory McIlroy.

Xander Schauffele flew out of the blocks at the Wells Fargo Championship, shooting 64 on the opening day. He would find himself four shots clear of Rory McIlroy heading into the weekend in Charlotte.

However, it would be McIlroy who would blow the rest of the field away over the final two rounds. He started Sunday tied for the lead with Schauffele before ultimately winning by five. He even had the breathing space to make a double bogey on the last.

The result certainly played into the idea that Schauffele could struggle to close out tournaments. He had finished in the top 10 of the major championships on 12 occasions without winning. Meanwhile, his last win on the PGA Tour came back in 2022.

Why Xander Schauffele was so excited as he lost the Wells Fargo Championship

But of course, Schauffele would win the following week at the PGA Championship. And speaking on The Smylie Show, Schauffele suggested that he actually left the Wells Fargo feeling extremely optimistic about the direction his game was going in.

“Quail Hollow was the first time I was exaggerating the move and I was starting to hit some shots. I know I lost to Rory by a million but it was close for a little bit. There was a stretch where I was within one, two or three then I think he eagled 10. He won it by a lot in the end. But I was starting to hit some shots at Quail where I was like I feel like I haven’t hit these shots in a long time or maybe even ever,” he said.

“So that was when it started to click in my head and I know I got smoked. I wasn’t particularly happy coming up the last but I was super excited because I knew Valhalla was coming up next week and I had heard that if there is a course on tour which is close to Valhalla it’s Quail Hollow. I was just trying to focus on what was up ahead.”

How Schauffele fared on the PGA Tour after failing to win at Quail Hollow

Clearly, that fortnight marked a turning point in Schauffele’s career. His first major win was swiftly followed by his second, at The Open Championship. And he cemented himself in the top two in the world rankings.

His consistency since finishing second at Quail Hollow has been frightening. He did not finish outside the top 15 between the Wells Fargo Championship and The Tour Championship, with nine top 10s in that time.

Obviously, Scottie Scheffler has been the player of the year for everything he achieved across the season, but you can certainly see why many players would rather have the year Schauffele has had.