On one nice south Florida morning in early December, Xander Schauffele meets us on the sun-soaked driving vary at Dutchman’s Pipe, a brand new non-public membership only a brief drive from the West Palm Seaside airport. He’s becoming a member of us for an episode of ‘Warming Up‘ and whereas he’s understandably skipped his typical pre-tournament routine — physio, then placing inexperienced, then chipping inexperienced — he greets us with a smile, grabs a wedge and will get to work. For the following hour, he’ll play golf, speaking about all the things from his origin story to how he hits a lower, to Tiger Woods’ low-spin, wind-beating 9-iron on the Masters.
Within the course of, we study loads from what he stated and the way he stated it, about golf and about Schauffele, too. Need to study one thing concerning the sport and need to know what it’s prefer to spend a while with golf’s newest two-time main champ? Watch the video beneath. Or, for those who’re extra within the studying temper, carry on going. Both approach, take pleasure in!
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1. He’ll watch protection earlier than a spherical
I requested Schauffele to think about he was warming up for the ultimate spherical of a serious the place he was in rivalry and this was one fascinating perception; I’ve at all times questioned how guys in rivalry at big-time tournaments deal with this. What’s it prefer to have golf on TV on earlier than their spherical if you’re a featured piece of the protection? Some ignore it. However not Schauffele. Whereas he’s cautious of watching too far earlier than his tee time, when situations could also be dramatically completely different, he’ll flip it on three or 4 hours earlier than he goes out.
“I prefer to,” he says. “I’ll watch a little bit little bit of protection. Perhaps I’ll see a putt to a pin that guys are making or lacking for some cause and attempt to keep in mind it. I’m right here to get any edge I can.”
2. He likes to be ‘playful’ in his warmup
Playful with shot shapes, particularly. As he begins with wedges and works his approach down by way of his irons, Schauffele will combine up his ball flights to settle in on one thing comfy for the spherical. Calibration, he says, is considered one of his father’s favourite phrases — he’s adopted it, too.
“I’ll attempt to hit little cuts, little attracts. I’ll see what sticks, what doesn’t,” he says. “After which I do know sure tendencies in my swing that will promote one factor or one other. And if I’m hitting a lower or draw, one or the opposite higher, I’ll favor the more severe one.”
Schauffele has a better time hitting a draw — gun to go, he says, that’s the shot he’d lean on — however he likes to have the ability to work the ball each methods.
3. He thinks there’s an actual distinction between contending and profitable
We frequently surprise this from the skin: Is there one thing completely different between the blokes in rivalry and the blokes who really find yourself with the win? Or is it mainly luck and probability? Schauffele contended in main after main however didn’t break by way of till this summer season, when he bagged two of ’em. He thinks the distinction between contending and profitable could be very actual.
“You by no means know the way you’re going to react when you’re within the spot,” he says. “You apply all the things you’re purported to do the fitting approach, the method, all these things. However I’d get in a few of these spots and I felt like there have been sure holes in my sport.”
He cites Carnoustie for example, calling again to the 2018 Open Championship the place he was within the combine on the again 9 Sunday.
“The best way I used to be swinging the membership, it was onerous for me to hit a managed kind of lower; all the things was off the toe, crashing left. And that’s nonetheless my tendency now; I simply have extra of an understanding of it. However I’d get in these spots and I’d see this again proper pin. I’m like, ‘Nicely, the proper shot is a lower.’ And I’m sitting there and [I’d been] so disciplined the entire match to attempt to simply hit like a low draw, simply left of it. After which unexpectedly, you already know, I’m so good, I’m going to attempt to hit the lower after which I mess it up. And now you’re all in your head. You simply begin to unravel. And so a number of that was taking place to me, the place I felt my sport was so shut, I didn’t settle for what I had. I at all times wished extra.
“And so I assume it’s just like the pursuit of perfection to the place you need to hit all of the pictures on the proper time within the massive moments. And alongside the way in which you study it’s not likely all about that.”
4. He leans on his proficient neighbors for coaching
Schauffele moved to south Florida, the place he lives close to big-time professionals like Patrick Cantlay, Justin Thomas, Rickie Fowler and lots extra.
“That’s one other good half about being right here,” Schauffele says. “There’s so many superior gamers to play with right here. So kind of my complete deal is that if I play 9 holes or 18 holes and if I’m capable of get one or two, even only one strain putt, like, the complete day is price it. If I’m capable of hit like two or three pressured iron pictures that I have to hit, the complete day’s price it.”
Iron sharpens iron, they are saying. Apparently irons do too.
5. The wind at Augusta is as loopy as they are saying
Schauffele had a famously unlucky expertise with the wind at Augusta Nationwide when, whereas in rivalry on Sunday, he hit 8-iron into the water wanting No. 16. That also stings, however after a number of extra journeys to the Masters, Schauffele is aware of he’s in good firm. In spite of everything, he nonetheless recollects intimately the expertise of watching Tiger Woods make the veteran play at No. 12 in 2019, when most of his competitors discovered the water brief and he hit a no-spin 9-iron to the middle of the inexperienced.
“The swirl within the bushes is insane,” he says. “I actually need to conquer the place. I imply, I really feel like I’ve performed fairly nicely there, however it’s a extremely enjoyable place to be in rivalry, simply with the historical past and figuring out a number of the pictures and being in a number of the spots … like, I do know precisely how the pictures are purported to work. If I can execute it, it’ll be good, you already know? And so there’s a distinct sensation if you’re taking part in there versus different majors.”
6. He nonetheless loves hitting balls
Schauffele is at house on the vary.
“My old flame was, for certain, the vary,” he says. The vary was one particular driving vary in San Diego, close to what was then-Qualcomm Stadium. “That’s sort of how I fell in love with the sport at first was simply sitting there beating golf balls. Simply love watching the golf ball fly.”
He realized to play at a course referred to as Doubletree, the place his dad befriended the director of golf and she or he let him study; he’d begin from the 100-yard marker and, as he received older and higher, again to the 150, then the 200, then the purple tees and so forth. That course is an condominium complicated. The stadium isn’t referred to as Qualcomm any extra, both. Schauffele’s 31 now. However he says that is just the start.
“I haven’t entered my prime but,” he says matter-of-factly.
7. A driving-range shank doesn’t faze him
Not anymore.
“I used to shank it loads. Warming up in school, for some cause,” he says. “Not a lot, however like, there have been in all probability 4 tournaments in a row the place I hoseled it, and it sort of helped me perceive how insignificant a warm-up is. It was an enormous studying lesson for me then.”
8. He’s a distinct particular person off the course
Schauffele is aware of that he retains issues even-keel on the course. However away from competitors?
“If I’m with my buddies or, y’know, out to dinner — which hardly ever occurs — my spouse would say, like, I’m goofy. Very completely different than what I’m on the course. And I attempt to be the identical particular person on and off, however I can’t focus and be goofy on the similar time.”
9. He’s by no means been late to a tee time — however he’s been shut
Schauffele takes a considerably nonchalant method to his arrival on the primary tee. He by no means leaves himself time to hit as many drivers as he desires to, he says. So his caddie, Austin Kaiser, will usually depart the vary earlier than he’s prepared, sending a powerful suggestion to his participant that it’s time to get going.
“The worst was on the PGA at Harding Park,” he remembers. “I needed to do some quick-step.” Schauffele received throughout the road with 38 seconds left, realizing he’d given the starter a scare. Even higher, his taking part in companion, Steve Stricker, nonetheless hadn’t arrived; he made it with six seconds left.
“In fact, I stand up there and I snap-hook my tee shot after which Stricker hits the green,” he remembers. “I used to be like, ‘this feels proper.’”
10. He has a first-tee mantra when he’s nervous
“It’ll be over quickly.”
Undeniably true.
You possibly can watch the complete video beneath.
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Dylan Dethier
Golf.com Editor
Dylan Dethier is a senior author for GOLF Journal/GOLF.com. The Williamstown, Mass. native joined GOLF in 2017 after two years scuffling on the mini-tours. Dethier is a graduate of Williams School, the place he majored in English, and he’s the writer of 18 in America, which particulars the 12 months he spent as an 18-year-old dwelling from his automobile and taking part in a spherical of golf in each state.
