When was the last time you saw Xander Schauffele in action? If you are not one of those people who subsist on Schauffele highlights on YouTube, then the answer is likely TGL. The World No.2’s last competitive appearance was for the New York Golf Club in their opener against the Bay Golf Club; Schauffele’s team lost 2-9 and also led the crowd to boo him after he missed a chip shot. If it is a full round of golf, the answer would be the Sentry in Hawaii. At the Kapalua Plantation Course at the beginning of January, Schauffele played his last game on the PGA Tour. He scored a modest 17 under par across the four days of action. But why is he out in action?

Schauffele was dealt a tough hand due to a rib injury he had sustained by the end of last year. The acute intercostal strain was present even during the Sentry and his TGL debut, and finally the two-time Major winner decided that he needed rest. “I thought I’d be fine and kept going and played through it at Sentry and at the first TGL match. I was pretty much tapped. I knew it was getting significantly worse and needed time off,” the World No.2 told Golfweek.

Schauffele missed eight PGA Tour events, including two signature events, the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and the Genesis Invitational, the latter of which was held unconventionally at his home course, the Torrey Pines. However, the 2024 PGA Championship winner finally comes bearing good news for his fans, making good on his promise to be back soon.

Xander Schauffele will tee off at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the third signature event of the year. “I want to get as many reps under the belt before the Masters. It would be nice to get the competitive blood flowing a few times before going into a really big event,” the World No.2 explained. He had earlier teased a possible return at Bay Hill, but now he has committed to the tournament.

He will also be targeting the Players Championship, happening a week later at the Ponte Vedra Beach in Florida. The event, which will feature the best golfers in the world, boasts a sky-high prize purse of $25 million and will serve as a proper test for Schauffele ahead of the Masters next month.

Now, we know what you are thinking. One week is too far away. Fear not, because he will be making his competitive return at the TGL this Monday for his team, the New York Golf Club. He was in attendance during the last match in which New York Golf Club narrowly lost in overtime to the Los Angeles Golf Club, earning a crucial point. But this week, he will be away from the stands and down where the action is.

Can New York Golf Club and Xander Schauffele make the playoffs?

Schauffele is set to feature for the crucial playoff-decider between the New York Golf Club and the Boston Common Golf at the SoFi Center in Florida. He will be alongside Rickie Fowler and Cameron Young as Matt Fitzpatrick stays in the sidelines. Right now, Schauffele’s team holds the cards heading to the final round where they are vying for the final playoff spot with Boston and Tiger Woods’s Jupiter Links Golf Club.

A win will guarantee New York Golf Club’s spot in the final four. An overtime loss will be enough to overcome Boston Common Golf, but it could allow Jupiter Links Golf Club to overcome them with a comprehensive win over Atlanta Drive, against whom they will need to win more than 6 holes. A loss by conceding less than 4 holes, would mean that they will want Jupiter Links Golf Club to lose to the Drive.

But Schauffele’s return makes one thing clear. The New York-based team is looking for a final dagger at Rory McIlroy‘s Boston and aiming for the win. Do you think Schauffele can mark his much-anticipated return by leading New York to the playoffs?