Xander Schauffele May Threaten Tiger Woods’s Unwavered Legacy as 2024 U.S Open Knocks on His Doors

Tying a record at the major championship is no easy feat, neither is it ordinary. Xander Schauffele would know. Especially so since he was able to pull off the same at the 2024 PGA Championship when he shot a bogey-free 9-under 62 to set a new course record in Valhalla. Fast forward to the next major. It appears the golfer is all set to achieve yet another feat, all the while matching a legacy that was left behind by the legend of the game, Tiger Woods.

Schauffele has been having a great year so far, with 10 top-10 finishes from 13 starts, including a victory at the second major championship of 2024. Case in point: That’s not the only great stat that the American pro has going on well this year, as he is slowly closing in on a unique feat of making 50 consecutive cuts!

Xander Schauffele follows Tiger Woods’s suit as he aims for a unique feat

Schauffele would be aiming to clinch another major win at the 124th U.S. Open championship following his PGA Championship victory. But that would only be possible if he made the cut after 36 holes and qualified for Moving Day. By doing so, interestingly, the pro would not just be given a chance to claim another title but also have a shot at matching Woods’s special record. The 48-year-old, as per Sports Illustrated, is the only athlete in the past 40 years to have made 50 consecutive cuts.

The 30-year-old has made a total of 48 consecutive cuts on the Jay Monahan-led circuit following his sub-par performance at the 2022 Masters Tournament at Augusta National, where he carded 74-77. If Schauffele moves on to play on Saturday, he would match Steve Stricker’s figures of 49 straight cuts, only second to Woods’s whopping 142 from the years 1998 through 2005.

The 15-time major champ, back then, had become the only golfer since Tim Kite to have crossed the mark of 50 consecutive cuts. Kite achieved the feat back in 1982 when he played in 53 successive events without going home early for a single one of them. Coming back to the 2024 PGA Championship winner, the athlete will be able to cross 50 if he just makes the weekend at the upcoming major and takes part in the Travelers Championship, which doesn’t have a cut.

Many eyes would surely be on the American pro, who hopes to rake in yet another scintillating finish after his T8 placement at the Memorial Tournament Presented by Workday. Even though he was aware of his upcoming feat, all the while subtly hoping for it to come true.

Schauffele in hopes of making another cut

“It gets brought up,” confessed Schauffele while alluding to the number of his consecutive made cuts. He further added how his looper, Austin Kaiser, had reminded him of the same while mentioning, “I think Austin’s actually the one who brought it up to me a couple of weeks ago. I think it’s definitely a testament to consistency. All of us out here want to win tournaments and I guess that’s a different question.”

He was, however, a bit skeptical when it came to matching Woods’s record. Counting the rest of the numbers, he said, “It would mean I would have to play like another three and a half years to get close to his number,” before admitting how ridiculous it was. “Yeah, it’s ridiculous. That’s why he’s the GOAT, he did stuff like that and he has records like that that will never be broken.”

Regardless of whether he can match the legend’s record or not, he will surely be able to join a list including the 82-time major champ and five other iconic golfers who have streaks of 50 straight cuts or more. But will he be able to etch his name alongside Woods, Byron Nelson, Jack Nicklaus, Hale Irwin, Dow Finsterwald, and Kite? Well, the fans can only wait and watch!