Orlando, Fla. – Xander Schauffele made her first swing on the PGA Tour in 57 days and found the middle of the fairway. Then he took out another golf ball from his schoolbag and threw it into the thick roughness. That’s the real test.
He recalled: “If the progress is not going well, I’m going to get in and drive back to Jupiter.”
Schauffele gave it a tear, the pressure between the bones of his right ribs was not entangled, and there was a slight tear in the cartilage, which prevented him from playing golf for two months. He returned to Bay Hill’s Arnold Palmer Invitational this week with modest expectations.
He started the year, the biggest threat to world No. 1 player Scottie Scheffler. Schauffele won two majors in the PGA Championship and the UK Open in 2024, from No Professional to Professional Grand Slam.
This lasted the whole week of the week in Kapalua’s sentinels, where he finished the middle of the game and realized that the pain was worse than he thought.
Schauffele is not sure if the damage stems from trying to increase speed in the swing or what he does during the workout. He described it as a perfect storm. The injury occurred when his athletic coach left the country to re-authorize his visa. He did not get any soft tissue therapy as usual. He thought it was no big deal until it became one.
He missed two matches at his hometown of San Diego’s Torrey Pines. He watched too much golf on TV to see what he was missing.
Now, he has some jobs to catch up.
Bay Hill is once again a signature event, the third time since the Tour Championship’s top three players – Scheffler, Rory McIlroy and Schauffele are all in the same field.
“To be honest, I wouldn’t call it a place to dream dreams,” Schauffele said. “Everyone knows what Bay Hill gives you – that’s much more than it gives – you have to earn every Par, Birdie or Bogey you make. It’s a tough place.”
But it’s a dream for the schedule – Bay, next week’s player champion and masters around the corner.
“If I said I was in the most comfortable position ever, I would lie,” Schauffele said. “I’ve been practicing the psychology to convince myself that I’m still in a form of crazy. Trying to take advantage of this low expectation with a serious focus to do my best.”
“I think Scottie is back and he’s not close to winning, but he plays well and reintegrates himself into it, so I don’t understand why I can’t do that.”
Scheffler can be related to the relationship Schauffele faces this week. He also did not play for two months when the wine glass he used to cut wontons broke and pierced the right hand of his right hand.
Since returning, he has two top 10 in his three games.
“I think it’s challenging whenever you get hurt,” Schevler said. “The first time you take a step back in the ropes, it’s a different tournament golf ball and there’s definitely a challenge and it takes a little time to get used to it.
“I’m a big regular guy, so getting hurt and getting out of the regular guy is definitely an unusual thing. Xander is a pretty regular guy, so I’m sure there will be some adjustments, but getting him out of the game is definitely a good thing.”
Because it was a player-hosted game, the 72-man field had 36 holes cut to the top 50 and tie. Schauffele has performed the longest on the PGA Tour 57 times in a row.
Of the first three trips to Bay Mountain, he had only one round in the 1960s.
Schauffele said he relied on a lot of scans to make sure he couldn’t reattack the ribs, and the gun he shot from his rough hands was another sign. He used an iron in San Diego only to punch nine holes. He returned to his home in South Florida and played nine holes on the post 3 field with Justin Thomas, alone, and then came to Bay Hill.
“So it’s as good as it will get,” he said.
