Xander Schauffele had a great performance at the Genesis Invitational on Saturday, shooting a 6-under 65 with no bogeys. He heads into the final round with a total of 12 under par, two strokes ahead of Patrick Cantlay.
Cantlay and Schauffele good friend. They often play golf together, and this time they plan to play together on Sunday.
“We’ve played in the final bracket several times,” Schauffele said after the round. “I got the best of him in the Travelers. He beat me the most in the BMW. We know where we stand and how we compete against each other.”
This is nothing new as they often play practice rounds together on Mondays and Tuesdays.
“We play a lot every week and we both love to compete. There’s nothing we want to do more than compete in big events,” he said. “We’ve done it a few times in the past and we hit shots off each other. That’s something we’ve talked about and something we want to continue to do.”
The two may be friends, but that doesn’t mean they’re into each other. Schauffele knows that when he plays against Cantlay, whether it’s a practice round or a tournament, it will be intense.
“We’re trying to outdo each other,” Schauffele said. “The only time we cheer for each other is when we’re playing team events. We joke, but I cheer for myself more than anyone else, and that goes for him too. That’s true. Of course I want to see him do well, but with the final group together it’s very clear what we’re going to do.”
Schauffele had to fight hard over the past two days to get into the final draw. While Cantlay had an easy time against Riviera Country Club, the 30-year-old got off to a slow start but played admirably over the final two days.
After three rounds of play, Azetech, a former San Diego State University player, ranks second in total strokes gained with 8.8 strokes gained on the field. He improved his tee shot by more than two strokes to place 7th, and in strokes gained putt he improved by more than 3 strokes to place 5th.
Schauffele was 10 strokes behind Cantlay at 2 under Friday at the turn. Since then, the seven-time PGA Tour winner is 10 under. Meanwhile, Cantlay’s bad bogey on Saturday the 17th opened the door.
Keeping the scorecard clean was huge for the favorite, who went bogey-free over the final 38 holes. He wanted to give himself a chance to win this tournament, and Schauffele did just that.
“It’s going to take some confidence,” Schauffele said. “I’m not going to look at the board too much. I think the most important thing is if I can continue to do the job I’m doing, putting pressure on Pat or anybody that’s going to be in that group.”
The world No. 5 player has finished runner-up an incredible 12 times in his career. Schauffele knows how to fight, but sometimes he finds it difficult to finish. Will Sunday’s Genesis Invitational be his time to shine?
Savannah Lee Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through.If you want to know more about golf, please follow us. @_PlayingThrough On all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirls and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.
