Remember when Wyndham Clark defied expectations at the 2024 Masters? Just days after suffering a back injury that threatened to derail his tournament, Clark stunned everyone with a T4 finish at Augusta National. His secret weapon wasn’t a medical miracle but a mental approach. Clark simplified his game, focusing on playing golf rather than dwelling on his physical limitations. Fast forward to 2025, and Xander Schauffele is walking a similar path.

When asked if he was surprised to be in contention at Valspar after his struggles at THE PLAYERS where he ended up carding 13 over to finish at 72, Schauffele didn’t hold back. “I mean 81 and, you know, a pair of hockey sticks or whatever I shot are bad scores, obviously. I told Austin, Austin and I have been together for a while so we have pretty open communication and I told him there’s a lot of things I need to work on,” he admitted at the post-round presser. 

We know TPC Sawgrass is a tough venue. So, Schauffele thought of it as a perfect place to work on his game and work out the shortcomings. He found out where he stood pretty quickly. Yes, he did make the cut line, coming closer to Tiger Woods’s record, but a 72nd-place finish isn’t really ideal. His T40 finish at the Arnold Palmer Invitational wasn’t that impressive either. After a stellar 2024 that saw him claim two major championships, Schauffele’s momentum was abruptly halted when he suffered an intercostal rib strain, so being out of your game is expected. But this week, coming at Valspar, he had clarity.

“This week was about getting back into playing golf, not playing golf swing and I was pretty open with Austin that I was going to play golf swing on the Saturday and Sunday and showed out, you know, I showed how good my stuff was there,” he shared about his Valspar Championship plans. He has now made the cut, and after 2 rounds of 69 and 67 at Innisbrook’s Copperhead Course, sits in contention at T5. So, Schaffele did get back to playing golf, we guess.

When asked if he was happy with his progress, his response revealed both patience and perspective. “Yeah, it’s a process. I’m aware of that,” Schauffele acknowledged. “I feel like Austin (his long-term caddie) and I did a decent job just trying to plot along a golf course. This is one of those places where it can get away from you quick or you can kind of hang in there and your name will be up there on Sunday late in the day.” Then came those six simple words that perfectly encapsulated his new philosophy; “So I’m just trying to play golf.”

This change of perspective is nice to see. Yeah, he made the cut last week too at The PLAYERS, but at that time, he was not too happy with his game. He described his golf as “really bad” and “it’s pretty gross, to be honest.”

Schauffele’s journey back to this simplified mindset hasn’t been straightforward, especially given the physical challenges he’s faced since the start of the year.

Recovery from rib injury proves more challenging than expected

Schauffele’s journey back from injury has been far from smooth. Diagnosed with an intercostal strain accompanied by a minor cartilage tear near his T-6, T-7, and T-8 regions, he initially tried to play through the pain at the Sentry Tournament of Champions in January before realizing the severity of the issue. The injury forced him to take an eight-week hiatus from competition—surely a significant setback for a player like him.

“It’s harder than I thought,” Schauffele admitted about regaining his form. “I didn’t think it was going to be this tricky. Maybe I’m being a little impatient, it’s been two weeks of tournament golf for me, coming off of pretty much zero golf.”

The mental aspect of recovery has proven just as challenging as the physical rehabilitation. Despite maintaining one of the PGA Tour’s most impressive streaks—59 consecutive made cuts dating back to the 2022 Masters—Schauffele has struggled to meet his own lofty standards. Now, his improved showing at Valspar offers a promising sign that his game is trending in the right direction. With Augusta National beckoning in just three weeks, this mental recalibration may have come at precisely the right moment.