Xander Schauffele will not be playing the Procore Championship in Napa next week along with the rest of the US Ryder Cup team, Bryson DeChambeau aside of course.
With the Ryder Cup now just under three weeks away, US captain Keegan Bradley wanted all the players on his team to make the trip to Napa to play in the Procore Championship, but two-time major winner Schauffele will be conspicuous in his absence.
The 2025 PGA Tour season has been an incredibly challenging one for the 31-year-old, after he made his way back from injury in March but wasn’t able to regain his best form.
Now American golf fans are worried about Schauffele ahead of the Ryder Cup, after it was officially announced that he will not be playing at the Procore Championship.
The two-time major champion still made the cut in every event he played this season, but he has clearly been nowhere near his best.
The American team could really do with Schauffele rediscovering his best form ahead of the showdown with Team Europe at Bethpage Black.
Xander Schauffele update after worrying Procore Championship news
Schauffele and DeChambeau will not be playing at the Silverado Resort next week.
They are the only two American Ryder Cup players who will not be there, but DeChambeau has a valid excuse due to his LIV Golf allegiance.
So why won’t Schauffele be playing? Is he injured? Or is he simply just choosing not to play?
Well, now we know due to the ever-reliable Xander Schauffele Legion on X, with the owner of the account being close to the two-time major winner’s team.
Xander Schauffele Legion posted the below message on Friday night:
“Xander Schauffele is the only PGA Tour and US Ryder Cup team member who will skip next week’s Procore Championship. With the good info I have, this is 100% not caused by him quitting on the team. Just needs time away from golf right now. All is good. Ryder Cup next up!“
The ‘all is good’ line is a bizarre one in my opinion.
The fact that Schauffele needs time away from golf and has chosen not to join the rest of the Ryder Cup team at the Procore Championship should be a huge concern for all American golf fans.
Xander Schauffele is now a big concern after update ahead of the Ryder Cup
In some ways, it would be more encouraging if he had a small injury and was desperate to play in Napa but was forced out of the field.
This is not a good look and captain Bradley will surely not be happy with Schauffele’s decision.
The 31-year-old may have needed a rest, but he has had the last three weeks off after failing to qualify for the Tour Championship.
He may well be grinding hard at the range, but Schauffele will now head into the Ryder Cup having not played competitively for six weeks.
The main takeaway from all of this is that Schauffele has put himself under immense pressure now to perform at the Ryder Cup, after his decision to skip the Procore Championship.
He certainly hasn’t made things easy on himself and the latest update from Xander Schauffele Legion may well have been shared with good intentions, but it has only raised more questions.
The 2024 Open champion had better perform at Bethpage now or he will be the target for huge criticism from both fans and media members alike.
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