What distinguishes one year from another?
Xander Schauffele emerged as one of golf’s elite in 2024, clinching his first two major titles at the PGA Championship and the British Open.
However, his 2025 season has proven to be frustrating and has ended earlier than expected. For the first time in his career, Schauffele finished outside the top 30 and failed to qualify for the Tour Championship at East Lake.
“There’s nothing worse than trying your hardest and playing like an ass,” Schauffele remarked to reporters after wrapping up in 28th place at the BMW Championship on Sunday.
“It’s the worst combo. Some of us don’t get it right. Some of us just don’t.”
Ranked third in the world, trailing only Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, finishing 42nd in the FedEx Cup standings falls short of his usual performance, despite achieving several respectable results throughout the season.
One of the starkest downturns has been his putting, where he dropped from 12th place last season to 131st this year.
Schauffele made the cut in all four majors, but he didn’t register a single top-five finish in the 15 events he participated in.
“At some point, I want to sit down and reflect, maybe learn something from all this,” Schauffele said, acknowledging that he missed two months early in the season due to a rib injury.
“Yeah, it was a lengthy mental season for me, but I’m feeling much better physically now—that’s a positive,” he added.
Looking ahead, Schauffele and other members of the U.S. Ryder Cup team are preparing for the Procol Championship scheduled for the second week of September.
While Schauffele is assured a spot on the U.S. team, recent struggles raise questions about his ability to secure points against a formidable European side.
