Xander Schauffele was unbeatable at the 2024 Presidents Cup! The golf pro was, notably, a workhorse last weekend. He played a part in all five matches for the American Team led by Jim Furyk. Moreover, despite claiming that he felt fatigued on Sunday, he dominated the final round, thrashing Jason Day 3&5 and giving Team USA another point of that 18.5.

“I was really tired… Just to not come out sluggish. That was my biggest goal today,” he had said. Well, mission accomplished Schauffle. And now onto the next! Xander has had one hell of a season this year. 2 Majors. And let’s not forget his 15 top-10 finishes either. And now with the Presidents Cup under his belt, will he take a break at a high point? Or will he push his luck just once more at the Tour’s Sanderson Farms Championship this week?

Xander Schauffele opts for some well-deserved rest

This week, the DP World Tour is hosting the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at St. Andrews. But the PGA Tour is not on a hiatus either. The Sanderson Farms Championship will be hosted at the Country Club of Jackson in Mississippi from October 3 to October 6. Sadly though, Xander Schauffele won’t be competing there. Notably, a lot of other top players too aren’t part of the field! Why though?

Although no one has released any official statement, the likes of Scottie Scheffler, Collin Morikawa, and more were all fighting for international glory last week. And the exhaustion from the Presidents Cup is likely the reason for their break.

The official website of the tournament released its field list a few hours ago, and while these pros are missing there are still some big names on there like Nick Dunlap and Rickie Fowler.

Interestingly Rory McIlroy is among the names of those who are missing the Sanderson Farms Championship this week. Of course, the Northern Irishman was not a part of the Presidents Cup last week, so why then is he not competing on the PGA Tour now?

Rory McIlroy is keeping in touch with his European roots

Rory was not eligible to be a part of the Presidents Cup as per the official criteria: “The automatic qualifiers will be the top six (6) eligible international players (excluding those eligible for the European Ryder Cup team) in the OWGR standings after completion of the 2024 BMW Championship.” That’s how the World No. 3 wasn’t at Royal Montreal. But that only means that he doesn’t need the rest the others do. So why is McIlroy’s name not part of the field list?

Well, the Northern Irishman has decided to “cut back” on his PGA Tour schedule and also focus on the DP World Tour. And that’s what he’s doing this week. McIlroy will be competing at the Alfred Dunhill Championship, in Scotland, taking on some of the best European stars.

Rors certainly has his work cut out for him, for he’ll be going up against the likes of Jon Rahm Tommy Fleetwood, Tyrell Hatton, and more. Will he prove dominant? Tune in to find out.