Once Bryson DeChambeau’s Confidant, Mystery Man Behind Xander Schauffele’s win Helped dig Scientist’s Valhalla Grave

After two years of winless seasons, Xander Schauffele finally ended it with a victory at Valhalla! The 30-year-old emerged triumphant at the 106th PGA Championship, defeating Bryson DeChambeau by one stroke. Schauffele’s victory at the PGA championship was the fruit of his hard work as he was in the top 10s for the past 12 majors.

He was always closer but never succeeded in attaining the silverware. However, a recent change in his golf team might have affected the overall result and his gameplay. The man who once supported and coached DeChambeau was now on Schauffele’s team to advance him to higher success.

Chris Como is Golf Digest’s top 50 golf swing coach and has guided even the golfing great like Tiger Woods. In the off-season, Como and Xander Schauffele started working together. Before Schauffele, the veteran coach used to help Bryson DeChambeau. Como once even compared DeChambeau to Woods and explained that both were on “a never-ending quest to get better.”

Following the split with the Scientist, Como started working with Schauffele and it has worked wonders for the 8-time PGA Tour winner. From the start of the season till now, Schauffele has played 13 games, and in 12 of those he was in the top 25 with nine top 10 finishes. Moreover, the 30-year-old was the runner-up at the Wells Fargo Championship and the 50th PLAYERS.

This was a substantial shift from the 2023 season when he had fewer top finishes in the initial stages. Working with Como has helped the Jupiter resident improve his swing and gain better distance off the tee. From being ranked 47th in SG: Off the Tee on the PGA Tour, Schauffele is now 8th and 2nd on Tee to Green. The addition of Como to his team indeed helped Schauffele to become a better player and even defeat Como’s former students like DeChambeau.

With Como on his team, Schauffele silenced those who doubted that he would never win again. After all, it has been two long years without a win and a decade without a major championship to be written on Schuaffele’s resume. But he didn’t just win the event, he interestingly did so by making history!

Xander Schauffele makes history for all major championships

Xander Schauffele entered the final round with 15 under scoreline tied with Collin Morikwaw. While the latter could not capitalize on Sunday, Schuaffele shot lower than anyone expected. The 30-year-old started his 18-hole stretch with a birdie on the par-3 1st hole. One hole down and another par putt, Schauffele carded the second bogey of the round.

He was already 17 under by the fourth hole and continued to make birdies on the 7th and 9th, respectively, to be 19 under. At the back nine, things didn’t start as he would have expected. The 10th hole was a bogey, interestingly the lone bogey of his round. But Schauffele quickly recovered to make two consecutive birdies on the 11th and 12th holes. He eventually concluded his final round with a heroic birdie on the 18th and lifted the Wanamaker Trophy.

Schauffele’s score after the four rounds was 21 under 263, which is by aggregate the lowest score to par in the history of any major championship that occurs in golf. So, it was not just the end of his winless drought, but another way for Schauffele to be remembered as one of the best golfers.