"I was really tired" - Xander Schauffele details final day of playing the Presidents Cup
Xander Schauffele opened the day's singles play for the American team that won the 2024 Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal Golf Club. The two-time Major champion played his role to perfection, winning his match against Jason Day.
After the event, Schauffele took part in the winning team's press conference. He said he felt tired and that his main goal for the day was to not go out too 'sluggishly'.
Here's what Schauffele had to say (via ASAP Sports):
"I was really tired, yeah. I was talking to a few of the guys, and we really wanted to motivate ourselves. Not that we needed more motivation, but just to not come out sluggish. That was my biggest goal today."
Xander Schauffele also spoke about how much he enjoyed competing as a team and winning on behalf of his country:
"I really enjoy this team aspect and the atmosphere and having all the caps and the wives and the caddies, just everyone, all our supporting staff all in one room having dinner and having a good time, and I really enjoy that bit."
Since the start of his professional career, Schauffele has been a member of five US national teams, three in the Presidents Cup and two in the Ryder Cup. His results include three victories in the former event and one in the latter.
He has also played in two Olympic Games (2021, 2024), winning a gold medal in Tokyo in 2021.
Xander Schauffele was one of the leading scorers for the American team at the 2024 Presidents Cup
Three players shared the lead for the American team in terms of their Presidents Cup results, all with four points. One of them was Xander Schauffele, joined by Patrick Cantlay and Collin Morikawa.
Schauffele won four matches and lost one. He teamed up with Tony Finau for the first day's four-ball match, in which they beat Jason Day and Byeong Hun An by 1 up.
The next day, Schauffele teamed up with Patrick Cantlay to face Hideki Matsuyama and Sungjae Im in foursomes. The Internationals beat the Americans by 7 & 6 in just 12 holes.
On the morning of the third day, Schauffele played the second session of four-ball teaming up again with Finau. This time, they beat Mackenzie Hughes and Corey Conners by 3 & 2 in 16 holes.
In the afternoon, the Schauffele/Cantlay team was paired again in foursomes to face Si Woo Kim and Tom Kim. The Americans won the match by spectacularly winning the 18th hole with a long putt by Cantlay.
During the final round singles, Schauffele faced Jason Day. The Australian started ahead by winning the 2nd hole, but the American tied on the next hole. Schauffele then won five of the next eight holes to take a lead that was decisive in winning the first point of the day for Team USA.