Xander Schauffele enjoys his 2020 golf time with Tiger Woods
By Mark Carman
Xander Schauffele has his eye on his first major after coming up short one shot short behind Tiger Woods in 2019.
The scoreboard tells you Xander Schauffele was this close to his first major win at last year’s Masters Tournament, but it did not quite feel that way to Schauffele.
“I made a clutch par there at the end just to finish tied for second. I didn’t have that birdie putt to push into a playoff like Brooks did,” Schauffele said.
Tiger Woods did indeed steal the show in 2019 winning his 15th major championship. Schauffele was there to experience the mayhem, but did not play in Wood’s group that day, once an intimidating place to be.
“Looking back on film and how intense and how intimidating he was (to play with),” Schauffele said. “Now, honestly, it’s fun. He’s relaxed, he’s still hyper-competitive, but you can talk to him. I feel like 15 years ago he wasn’t someone that would be that enjoyable to play with. He wouldn’t really talk to you. Now you can ask him about his kids, how he is doing, how he is feeling, all kinds of things. He’s definitely turned into very much a family man.”
At 27-years old, Schauffele continues his climb to winning his first major with empathy for himself and the process it takes to get there. In addition to finishing second at the Masters, there was the 2018 Open Championship.
“I finished second place a ton,” Schauffele said. “Jack Nicklaus finished second in 15 majors, he won 18 of em’. It takes a little bit of practice. I have always been on the slower side of the winning curve when it comes to winning tournaments.”
Golf has been a slow play for Schauffele from the start publicly. Unlike Woods, who was known to the world by the time he was 13, Schauffele has kept a much lower profile.
“In high school I didn’t tell anyone that I played golf,” Schauffele said. “My girlfriend, now of almost 7 years, she didn’t even know that I played golf growing up. It’s not the jock sport.”
Schauffele did tell his Dad Stefan at an early age he wanted to be a professional golfer. That Dad is still his swing coach today despite some ups and downs along the way.
“Obviously, as a young man, I did not get along with my Dad just like most kids don’t want to listen to their parents,” Schauffele said.
The two now head to the 2020 Masters which is going to be…unique.
“I think no fans will be very strange,” Schauffele said. “Coming down Sunday with no fans and no roars, it just sort of being the museum that Augusta is will be the weirdest thing to overcome. Hopefully the weather isn’t too cold, but if it is so be it. Just excited to compete for a green jacket.”
Xander Schauffele is working with Hyland, a leading content services provider that allows thousands of organizations to digitally transform and deliver better experiences to the people they serve.