While Xander Schauffele was already a major champion by the time he walked down the 18th hole at Royal Troon last year, it was arguably his win at The Open Championship which confirmed his spot as a superstar of the current game.
It is remarkable to think that it was less than 18 months ago that Xander Schauffele was having to field questions about his ability to get across the line in the biggest events in the game.
He went into the 2024 season with 11 top 10s in the majors under his belt. His worst result in 2023 was a tied 18th finish at the PGA Championship.
But clearly, getting that first major win was proving to be a significant hurdle for the American.
What Xander Schauffele’s Dad said to him after his Open Championship win
That changed at Valhalla last year, with Schauffele holding off Bryson DeChambeau to win by one. And he backed that up by going on and triumphing at The Open Championship at Royal Troon.
Schauffele went into the final round in a six-way tie for second. Certainly, had overnight leader Billy Horschel been told that he would shoot 68 on Sunday, he would have been forgiven for assuming that he was about to secure his first major win.
But Schauffele’s 65 was at least two shots better than everyone else in the field. Suddenly, the 31-year-old had a claim to be considered the player of the year, despite Scottie Scheffler‘s heroics in 2024.
Photo by Keyur Khamar/PGA TOUR via Getty Images
However, the message from Schauffele’s camp immediately after his victory was to not get carried away. Speaking to Golf Digest, the world number three explained what his father, Stefan said as soon as he got the trophy in his hands.
“Last year at Royal Troon, after the speeches were done and the crowds were gone, my dad and I finally had a moment to reflect and enjoy it all. I remember, he was scanning the names on the Claret Jug, then looked up at me and said, ‘You still suck’,” he said.
“We had a good laugh over that one. Maybe you have to understand my dad to get his little jokes, but those words actually packed a lot of meaning. He was reminding me that, despite the success of the day, there’s always more to do, more you can achieve, a higher bar. That’s how we look at it.”
How Xander Schauffele has performed in the majors and on the PGA Tour in 2025
Certainly, this year has been much more frustrating for Schauffele. He missed much of the early part of the season due to a rib injury, and he is yet to win since his return.
He did finish in the top 10 at The Masters, while he continued his run of having never finished outside the top 14 at the US Open at Oakmont.
However, he currently finds himself 56th in the FedEx Cup standings. You would imagine that there is little chance of him missing the playoffs, but he is certainly facing a fight to make it to the Tour Championship.
That will certainly give him the hunger to respond in 2026 and add to his two major titles.