Despite the struggles in his game, American golf sensation Xander Schauffele has managed to keep alive his impressive string of making the cut in PGA Tour events. The two-time major winner barely scraped into the weekend at The Players tournament, finishing the event at a modest one under.
Schauffele’s performance, particularly his struggle to match the pace of his playing partners Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler, signifies his ongoing battle to find his form since his comeback from injury. However, in a last-minute twist of fate, a wave of subpar performances from later finishers ensured that the cut line stayed at minus one, allowing Schauffele to narrowly secure his place in the competition.
Schauffele, renowned for his self-taught golfing skills inspired by Ben Hogan’s book, has a remarkable record of winning 12 PGA Tour events. Yet, despite his continued presence in the tournament, the world’s number two golfer is far from content. He confessed post his second round that there are significant issues in his game that are causing him concern.
In his own words, Schauffele described his dilemma, “Surprisingly it feels kind of close, which is, I know, pretty sick to say. I’ll get a little bit cosier on the range and kind of get in a decent pattern, and then as soon as I get on the course it seems to get a little bit more crooked. I’m not sure if it’s something setup related or something that I’m not doing or not doing on the course that I do on the range, but it feels pretty bad.”
Analyzing his performance at The Players 2025, Schauffele’s first two rounds were a mixed bag. While he managed to make 24 pars and 7 birdies or better, he also suffered 5 bogeys or worse, leaving him trailing a daunting ten shots behind the leaders. His overall score of 143 was a clear indication of his struggle to translate his practice sessions into the actual rounds.
Moving forward, if Schauffele is to ascend the leaderboard, he will have to significantly up his game in the final two rounds. He needs to quickly recover his putting prowess, minimize costly mistakes, and boost his birdie count. In short, Schauffele will need to rediscover the form that has seen him rise to the top tier of the golfing world. Only time will tell if he can overcome his current challenges and add more feathers to his already impressive cap.
