After spending the last eight weeks resting at home in Jupiter, Florida, with his French bulldog Chewy by his side, Xander Schauffele is ready to return to competitive golf at this week’s $20 million Arnold Palmer Invitational. “It felt like a lifetime,” Schauffele admitted. He had suffered a rib injury in December and, despite playing through it with four rounds at The Sentry and participating in the TGL opener, he had to step back from competition to allow his injury to heal properly. He will be making his first appearance of the 2025 season at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. But before he became a two-time Major winner, Xander Schauffele had a much different experience on the golf course.

Ahead of the BMW Championship, Schauffele opened up about his time on the Korn Ferry Tour, admitting he was pretty angry during his early years. “I got my card on the Korn Ferry, and I was extremely angry,” he shared. Despite feeling like he was playing well, success didn’t come quickly, and frustration built up. So how did he turn the tide in his favor?

Xander Schauffele shares a veteran’s ‘towel trick’ that got him out of a rut

It was pure grit that got Schauffele where he is today. Consider this: even after missing nine cuts in a row once, he still felt like he was close. Reflecting on his journey, he shared how a series of small frustrations, or ‘mini meltdowns’, helped fuel his growth. “So I got my act together, fixed that, then loop that in. Got my card in my rookie year. I was able to get through the playoffs on the Korn Ferry… I was about to lose my card and I Mondayed into the US Open and the rest is history. I was able to turn it around.”

During a press conference on Wednesday ahead of the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Xander Schauffele was asked to revisit some of the tougher moments from his early career. With a slight smile, he responded, “You’re trying to have me go to a dark place, you know what I mean? I’ve been steering away from that for quite some time.” Despite his hesitation, Schauffele pushed through and shared the story.

After turning pro in 2015, Schauffele, fresh out of San Diego State, was on a tight budget, chasing his PGA Tour card. He spent many nights in extended-stay motels, sharing a room with his caddie, Austin Kaiser. Frustration built up as he struggled with missed cuts on the Korn Ferry Tour, and that’s when a veteran golfer gave him some advice. “He just said, ‘If you’re pissed off try to rip a towel in half and you will not be angry a couple of minutes later, you’ll just be sweating there in the bathroom all by yourself,'” Schauffele remembered. “It was just some veteran who told me that. I can’t remember who it was.”

That advice became a sort of coping mechanism for Schauffele. In his first Korn Ferry Tour season, he missed five cuts in seven tournaments, and as his anger boiled over, he resorted to towel-ripping. “It was all kind of crashing down on me quickly,” he recalled. “So I tried it in the bathroom, and that veteran was right. You know, I was really angry and then kind of sat there and saw myself in the mirror and started laughing because like this is embarrassing.”

Schauffele admitted it was strange to share something so personal. When asked to go deeper into the details of those hotel stays, he quickly drew the line and refused to share more, clearly still a little reluctant to revisit those memories. Although he now has his act fixed together, he still has the worst days of the angry Professional clear in his head.

Schauffele recalls 2020 Sentry incident

At the 2020 Sentry Tournament of Champions, Xander Schauffele found himself in a prime position heading into the 18th hole. All he needed was a couple of putts to claim the win. However, things took an unexpected turn when Schauffele three-putted, a mistake that left him “shocked” and marked one of his most difficult losses.

He recalls, “I just remember three-putting there, was really excited, really amped up, downwind putt, whacked it seven feet by, missed it, was in complete shock, then had to go into a playoff. Had no chance of winning that thing, obviously.”

What had once seemed like a certain victory quickly turned into a devastating loss, and the emotional toll was significant. Schauffele admitted to feeling distraught and had to take time to process the defeat. He told his wife that he’d need some space to work through it. Fast forward to the present, and Schauffele is in the midst of one of the best seasons of his career. After years of near-misses, he secured his first Major win at the 2024 PGA Championship, where he triumphed over Bryson DeChambeau with an impressive -21 performance.

Now, Schauffele’s future looks bright, and with more wins in the pipeline, his season could end up being one for the history books. What are your thoughts about his professional journey? Let us know in the comments section below!