In the world of professional golf, the name Xander Schauffele rings with familiarity and respect. This week, the two-time major champion sets his sights on the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass, a course that has previously seen him finish as runner-up in 2024. With a renewed determination, Schauffele is ready to challenge the reigning champion Scottie Scheffler who managed to defend his title with a narrow one-shot victory the previous year.
The TPC Sawgrass course has a reputation for being challenging, a fact echoed by golfing legend Tiger Woods, a two-time winner at the venue. After his second win in 2013, a full 12 years since the first, Woods described the course as ‘very tricky’. This year’s championship isn’t short of top-tier competition either, with all ten top-ranked players globally participating, including world number one, Scheffler.
Currently ranked third, Schauffele recently slipped behind Rory McIlroy in the rankings but remains undeterred as he gears up for the latest PGA Tour event. Reflecting on his first encounter with the TPC Sawgrass course, Schauffele reveals it was a daunting yet exhilarating experience. The course’s surrounding greens were particularly intimidating, a feature he describes as ‘really scary’.
“I came here before Puerto Rico my rookie year and played, and it was like Sunday, it was 50 degrees and blowing 30 when I came here for the first time,” says Schauffele, reminiscing about his initial encounter with the course. Despite not participating in the tournament at that time, he used the opportunity to familiarize himself with the challenging course layout.
His practice round gave him valuable insight into the course dynamics. Schauffele emphasizes that TPC Sawgrass is not a course where you can simply ‘bomb driver’ and expect the ball to stop at the corner of the fairway. Instead, it demands strategic shot shaping to ensure the ball lands in the correct spots. He further adds, “Around the greens is really, really scary when the greens are almost kind of Bay Hilly. I still think it’s a great test and it produces great winners.”
Shifting the focus to Schauffele’s performance this year, it seems the golfing star has had a rocky start. Despite a stellar 2024 season where he clinched victories at the PGA Championship and The Open Championship, earning him the title of a nine-time PGA Tour champion, 2025 hasn’t been as rewarding. A rib injury has limited his participation to only two PGA Tour events so far, with him finishing T30 at The Sentry and T40 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
As he steps onto the greens at TPC Sawgrass this week, Schauffele carries with him the lessons learned, the experiences gathered, and an unwavering resolve to claim the Players Championship title. Will this be his year to conquer the ‘very tricky’ course and rise to the top? Only time will tell.