"I was angry all the time"- Xander Schauffele reflects on his first year on the Korn Ferry Tour, before he 'got his act together'
Long before he was a two-time Major winner, Xander Schauffele was a Korn Ferry Tour player. He was also an angry golfer, as he acknowledged this week ahead of the BMW Championship. Success didn't come immediately, and there was a lot of frustration early on.
He said:
"I got my card on the Korn Ferry, and I was extremely angry. I think I missed nine cuts in a row, and I felt like I was playing... pretty good... I got through Q-School and was fired up and here I am. I'm a fresh kid out of college and I got my card already. I'm floating Austin with me every week, paying him more than I'm making. We're rooming together and I am angry all the time."
He said he felt as if he was playing well and that he wasn't missing cuts by a wide margin. Issues here and there, "mini meltdowns" as he called them, were frustrating.
Schauffele continued:
"So I got my act together, fixed that, then loop that in. Got my card in my rookie year. I was able to get through the playoffs on the Korn Ferry... I was about to lose my card and I Mondayed into the US Open and the rest is history. I was able to turn it around."
Now, Schauffele is in the midst of a supremely impressive season. It took a while, but he broke through with his first Major win at the 2024 PGA Championship. He ousted Bryson DeChambeau with a -21 showing.
Then at the Open Championship, he earned the second Major win of his season and career, cementing himself as one of the top golfers today. With any more success in the coming two weeks, Schauffele could end up with a season for the ages.
Xander Schauffele recalls worst meltdown of career
At the 2020 Sentry TOC, Xander Schauffele was in pole position entering the 18th hole. All he needed was to make his putt or two to win outright. Incredulously, Schauffele three-putted and was reportedly "shocked" by what happened in one of his worst losses.
He entered a playoff, one he says now he had no chance of winning (via Golf.com):
“I just remember three-putting there, was really excited, really amped up, downwind putt, whacked it seven feet by, missed it, was in complete shock, then had to go into a playoff. Had no chance of winning that thing, obviously.”
The momentum completely shifted and what was briefly a sure-fire victory turned into a catastrophic loss. He said he was distraught in the hotel room and told his wife she'd need to give him some time to process and get over the loss.