Xander Schauffele's start at this week's Valspar Championship will be his third straight tournament since returning from an injury during pitch count.
He said he “gets out of the water” from the pitch count at last week's athletes championships. There he made a cut but ended up dying after posting 77-81 over the weekend. The current Champion Golfer of the Year winner, the current Champion Golfer of the Year, hasn't looked like he is recently. He submitted his commitment to play hours before the 5pm deadline last Friday.
“We need to get more reps. We feel we're getting better and better, so we just put the reps under our belt,” Schauffele said Wednesday.
“Competition golf isn't the same as trying to play golf at home. It's a process and I'm determined to play better. Hiber was set up after last year and I was out of that season, and I was expecting myself.
Schaufele began the year at Maui Sentry, but was not close to fighting. He then missed two months due to a rib injury. This is a setback that I suffered while exercising in the second half of 2024.
“It's harder than I thought. I didn't think it would be that difficult,” Schaufele said of his comeback.
“Maybe I'm a bit impatient. For me, there was two weeks of tournament golf and golf was almost from scratch. I played Sentry. Before that, it was Zozo (October), so the layoff felt more than those six weeks.
Schaufele hopes to rediscover his form before returning to Augusta National. He has a great record with the Masters, but has yet to secure a green jacket.
“I feel like I'm stuffing for a test. When I'm there, I feel like I'm still trying to study, not just take the test,” added Schauffle.
“What my dad taught me a long time ago was watching the ball and responding to the ball, not about how your swing looks. I think I was a little too far aware of swinging the club right and trying to get back to a good pattern when I'm playing really good golf.
Jack Mirco is a golf staff writer who plays SB Nation. Follow him with x @jack_milko.
