Xander Schauffele Expresses Frustrations After Return From Injury but Sees Positives

Returning from a rib injury, Schauffele played three straight weeks on some of the PGA Tour's hardest courses and is now "looking forward to getting home."

Xander Schauffele played three straight weeks after two months off due to a rib injury. / Reinhold Matay-Imagn Images

After a third-round 75 at the Valspar Championship, Xander Schauffele went straight to Innisbrook’s practice range. 

The world No. 3 then hit balls for nearly an hour. 

“Made some really bad driver swings yesterday and sometimes you just want to get out and make a few free swings on the range,” Schauffele said after his final-round 66. “Whether you snap hook it or blow it a hundred yards right, just get ‘em out of your system. So last night was a bit of a frustration session/what am I going to go with today.”

Schauffele’s bounce-back round Sunday will reward him with a top-15 finish in his third start since missing nearly two months due to a rib injury. But after three straight starts on some of the PGA Tour’s toughest courses, there was a bit of frustration. 

“I’m more tired than I was. Definitely looking forward to getting home,” the two-time major winner said. “I think I feel a little bit better. Felt like I was kind of going to the drawing board often this week, just on sort of a feel or something to go with ... today the focus was kind of back to when you fiddle with your swing so much while you’re trying to compete. Yesterday I tried to free myself of that and started to hit some snap hooks, so that was obviously a bit concerning. 

“Talking 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.”

Still, the 31-year-old is getting back his groove following the injury—and despite extending his made-cut streak to a Tour-best 60, it was a grind to the finish. 

“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,” he said. 

Nevertheless, Schauffele sees some light at the end of the tunnel with the Masters coming up in three weeks. 

“I wouldn't say, with my three tournaments, to be fair, to myself, I say I came back probably two of the hardest cuts to make in our entire season, two out of the top 5, I would say—Bay Hill and (the Players Championship). So I did myself a favor there coming back on those two events,” he said jokingly. “Not excited about everything that I did, but I think try to use as a building block.”