The Valspar Championship has been an eventful tournament for many. Viktor Hovland broke his trophy drought, having secured his first PGA Tour title in 574 days, since the 2023 Tour Championship. Justin Thomas, recorded his second runner-up finish this season after a brilliant last round of golf. The American golfer could have clinched the trophy but failed to stick his landing, bogeying two of the last three holes.

More importantly, two-time Major Winner and World No.3 Xander Schauffele recorded his best-ever finish this season, in only his third tournament after his long layoff due to a rib injury. Schauffele finished T12 and while doing so also maintained his streak of making the cut. The longest active streak is his, now at 60 after the Valspar championship. In doing so, he became only the sixth player in golfing history to make 60 straight cuts. Tiger Woods stands alone at the top with 142 cuts made across 7 years of golf.

Xander Schauffele’s return from injury

Speaking to the press after his last round at the Copperhead Course, Schauffele admitted that his game needs improvement which he is striving for continuously. Ever since his return from injury, the World No.3 has been on a continuous run of golf. He first appeared at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, where he finished T40, before making an appearance at the PLAYERS Championship only a week later. He finished 72 at the TPC Sawgrass. And without any rest, he took part in the recently concluded Valspar Championship. Fatigue is understandable.”I’m more tired than I was,” the 31-year-old stated, adding, “Definitely looking forward to getting home. Yeah, I think I feel a little bit better.”

Schauffele’s drive has been the biggest concern. During the Valspar Championship, Schauffele was ranked 74 in Strokes Gained off the Tee and 76 in Driving Accuracy. At last year’s PGA Championship where he was victorious, he was ranked 3 and T16, respectively. That would be one area Schauffele would be looking to improve.

The nine-time PGA Tour winner is maintaining a steady stream of communication with his team, especially his swing coach, Chris Como. “Talking a lot with my team and everyone that’s trying to help me on how to approach it, so the thought process was to try and get the ball in the hole and focus on that the most. Doesn’t matter if I have to play with what feels like a compensation, just get it done.”

There is another thing in the World No.3’s mind. Schauffele’s team, the New York Golf Club, is part of the inaugural final of the TGL. The team came into the playoffs as the fourth seed but overcame the challenge of the Los Angeles Golf Club to progress to the final. They are set to face the Atlanta Drive GC in a best-of-three final across two days, March 24 and 25. He explained, “I got my TGL Monday, Tuesday, we got three matches, so we’ll be kind of trying to rest during the day and then play those at night and then I’m sure I’ll meet up with Chris and see my trainer and sort of see how I’m feeling.”

Despite the rigorous schedule after his return from injury, Schauffele showing good signs of improvement, albeit a bit slow. After going 4 over par on day 3, Schauffele carded a day-high 5 under par to vault himself to T12 at the Copperhead Course. The game is there, but the consistency is what he needs to bring to the table. In fact, if you remove the third-day scores, Schauffele would be tied for first place. “But I feel pretty good, so I’m definitely tired from the three weeks in a row, my brain feels like it’s going to explode after some bad days of golf, but it was nice to sort of end this stretch with a 5-under,” the 2024 PGA Championship winner added.

Schauffele will be looking to use the momentum for his advantage, as he enters the trickier part of the PGA Tour season. With the first of the four majors, the Masters looming, he will need to be at his very best.

What’s next for Schauffele?

The World No.3 will suit up for the TGL finale happening on Monday and Tuesday. The best of three will feature the New York Golf Club which includes Schauffele, Cameron Young, Matt Fitzpatrick, and Rickie Fowler against the Atlanta Drive GC. The Drive will feature Lucas Glover, Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay, and Billy Horschel. Schauffele will be looking to push his team to the title after missing a major chunk of the matches through injury.

Post the TGL, the Florida resident will be looking to take an extended break, as he is not part of the field for the Texas Children’s Houston Open nor has he given a positive nod to participate in the Valero Texas Open. That means, his next 18-hole event would be the very-elusive Masters Tournament at the Augusta National Golf Course. Schauffele had previously finished T2 in 1019, T3 in 2021, and 8th in 2024. He will be looking to get over the hump this time around, but the field is well-packed and much more seasoned, despite several LIV Golf players not participating.

Do you think the rusty Schauffele has a chance at the upcoming Masters? More importantly, the last time Schauffele failed to make the cut was at the 2022 Masters. Do you think his current streak is in danger at the Augusta National?We will have to wait to see and find out!