Xander Schauffele gives latest fitness update ahead of the Arnold Palmer Invitational after making his return to golf at TGL

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There were plenty of concerns about Xander Schauffele over the first couple of the months of the year after he spent several weeks on the sidelines due to a rib injury.

Many were excited to see what Xander Schauffele would do in 2025. While Scottie Scheffler was in top spot in almost every category in 2024, it was Schauffele who had the edge when it came to major championship wins as he became the latest marquee name to join the list of players on two victories.

Unfortunately, Schauffele did not pull up any trees at The Sentry. And it was announced ahead of The American Express that he would miss the event due to injury.

The world number three had been dealing with a rib problem for some time, forcing him to miss a number of events – as well as most of the regular TGL season.

Xander Schauffele provides a fitness update ahead of the Arnold Palmer Invitational

But Schauffele is now back. He played on Monday as New York beat The Bay in TGL, and he is set to be in the field for the Arnold Palmer Invitational this weekend.

And speaking following his TGL display, the 31-year-old provided an update on how his body was actually feeling.

“Yeah, it’s awesome. I missed being out, and just sitting at home, you sort of appreciate a lot of things when you’re sort of sidelined. Got some juices flowing. Even though you’re hitting into a screen, you’re still a bit nervous, just not really being competitive as of late,” he said.

“I feel good, and looking forward to getting over to Bay Hill.”

How Schauffele has performed at Bay Hill during his career

Interestingly, Schauffele has not got the most impressive record at Bay Hill during his career, having never finished higher than 24th in his three appearances at the event.

In fact, Schauffele has not actually broken par for a tournament at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, and only broken 70 on one occasion – the first round of the 2023 event.

So it would perhaps be asking a lot to expect Schauffele to steal the show in what is his first tournament back after several weeks out – during which he probably did not hit many shots at all.

It would therefore, be a huge statement ahead of major championship season if Schauffele was able to put himself in contention for the first time over the coming days.