Xander Schauffele’s PGA Championship Record Not Enough? Short-Lived World Record Glory Sheds Brutal Reality

Xander Schauffele made history once again on the greens. He hit a scintillating 62 at the ongoing PGA Championship to become the golfer who scored the lowest round in the event’s history books along with the majors. However, the athlete seems to have a stark reality looming over his head, which gives the recent feat a futile aftertaste of sorts.

Back in 2023, the professional, along with Rickie Fowler, had hit a similar round at the U.S. Open that was held at Los Angeles Country Club. Unfortunately, he couldn’t capitalize on the same, causing him to lose out on the title. Case in point: a record round might not be enough for Schauffele, this time around as well, to end up victorious at the major, especially when coupled with his recent winless streak.

Concerning Xander Schauffele reality comes to light

The American professional hit a bogey-free 9-under 62 on the par-71 Valhalla Golf Course on Thursday. He did so while carding a total of nine birdies, five of which came at the back nine, all the while placing himself at the top of the leaderboard. Moreover, this helped him lead the scoreboard by three strokes ahead of Tony Finau, who is closely tailing him at T2.

Such a record-breaking performance that surpassed the previous feat of 63, which was shot a total of 18 times, however, doesn’t look like it will help Schauffele seal the deal at the ongoing major championship. Back at the 2023 U.S. Open, where he dished out a similar performance and clinched the Guinness World Record for the same with Fowler. Sadly, Schauffele finished at T10 tied with three others with a score of 3-under 277, while Wyndham Clark claimed first place with 10-under overall at the Los Angeles Country Club.

Schauffele’s recent misfortunes, when added to the luckless past, also paint a bleak picture for the professional when it comes to the major. Although he has been dishing out notable performances one after the other, he hasn’t managed to emerge victorious once on the circuit, with a total of eight top-10 finishes in 11 starts. The 30-year-old even suffered a similar fate at the recently concluded Wells Fargo Championship, where he was at the top of the leaderboard going into the final round until Rory McIlroy shot past him to claim the win.

If the past has taught us anything, it’s to be always on our toes until the final round of the tournament. Xander Schauffele would agree as well since the ill-fated finish at Quail Hollow Golf and Country Club was not a one-time thing.

Schauffele’s continuing misfortune on the greens

At the PLAYERS Championship, the golfer was placed at the top spot going into the final day, while the champion, Scottie Scheffler had been in the sixth spot for the first three rounds. But as fate would have it, the 2024 Masters tournament winner shot past Schauffele, who boasted scores of 65-69-65-70, to win the same. The Genesis Invitational was no different, as the pro could only finish T4 despite tailing Patrick Cantlay at T2 after the third round of play.

He would surely want to break his unfortunate streak at the Valhalla Golf Course with a victory at the ongoing PGA Championship. But he would only be able to do so while beating the likes of the current No. 1 and No. 2 on the OWGR, who are closely tailing him at T10 and T4, respectively. It looks like an exciting weekend is ahead for the golf community.