For Xander Schauffele fans, there is news. Not good news though. Xander Schauffele has only featured in one PGA Tour event this year which was the Sentry where he finished T30. He has since then been sidelined due to a right rib injury, which occurred late last year. The Florida resident was initially scheduled to take part in the Genesis Invitational but as per the latest tweet from Garrett Johnston, Schauffele will not feature at the Torrey Pines Golf Course.

“Spoke w/Xander Schauffele’s team and he will NOT play next week at @thegenesisinv. ‘Does not look that way (for him to play) unfortunately. (Injury) needs a bit more time.’,” Johnston’s tweet read. Schauffele is pretty frustrated about missing out on the action on the course. He shared his frustrations with the PGA Tour. “Now I’m sidelined. I’m pretty bummed, to be completely honest. I mean, probably the worst start to any season I’ve had as a professional golfer”, he said.

Despite the setback, Schauffele is determined to make the most of his time off. He’s using this opportunity to come back even stronger. His goal is to return to the course at 100%. “I’m sitting at home watching all my friends, you know, watching everyone do what I love the most, which is to compete in tournaments. I’m just trying to learn from this situation and really come back 100%”, he continued. Schauffele won 2 majors last year, so naturally, he was in form, but hey, the injury does not stop the competition, especially with your next-best competitor.

As per reports, Rory McIlroy can overtake Schauffele in the Official World Golf Rankings to become world #2 again. This will only happen if the Northern Irishman were to finish in a 2-way tie for T5 or better at the Genesis. The 4-time Major winner who most recently won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, currently has an 8.6099 average points compared to Schauffele’s 8.9142. The battle of being #2, and #3 has been going on between the two since last year.

Both McIlroy and Schauffele have been dominant figures in professional golf. Schauffele’s world ranking has never gone outside the top 20 since July 2018 and has been in the top 10 territory over the last three years. The turning point was the 2024 PGA Tour Season.

Xander Schauffele’s road to World No.2

The San Diego State University alum went into the 2024 season ranked sixth in the world. Steady consistent performances followed, moving him to third in the rankings. The American golfer then went on to win his first major title, the PGA Championship in May 2024, beating Bryson DeChambeau by 1 stroke after an exciting four-day contest. He overtook Rory McIlroy after his first major victory, claiming the second position temporarily.

But the Northern Irishman, would not let Xander Schauffele rest easy, as he came roaring back to claim the second position yet again. McIlroy finished 2nd at the 2024 US Open just behind DeChambeau and took the World No.2 spot back in June. But Schauffele was not done yet.

One month later, another major came calling for Schauffele. This time he won with a two-stroke advantage over chasers Billy Horschel and Justin Rose. The victory allowed him to leapfrog Rory McIlroy, who unfortunately missed the cut at the tournament.

With Schauffele’s return more than imminent, the topsy-turvy battle between two of the best golfers in the current professional circuit will likely continue. But the larger question remains. Who is going to dethrone Scottie Scheffler from his No.1 spot?