In years prior, Xander Schauffele was known as “the best golfer to never have won a major.” Now, not only can critics no longer use that phrase with Schauffele, but he’s also cemented an outstanding year for himself while the rest of the PGA Tour cowers in Scottie Scheffler’s shadow.
After winning his first major at this year’s PGA Championship in May, Schauffele finally broke into golf’s elite club and got the proverbial monkey off his back. At Valhalla Golf Club, Bryson DeChambeau had both the crowd and momentum on his side, and if he had forced a playoff, Schauffele’s chances would’ve been slim. At the Open, however, Schauffele won by running away from the field on the final day. He scored a fourth-round best 65 and carded six birdies from holes six to 16.
Everything seems to be going Schauffele’s way at the moment, largely because he’s been so solid from tee to green. He hasn’t missed a cut all year and extended his streak of consecutive made cuts to 52, dating back to the 2022 Masters. With 12 top-10 finishes this season, he’s given himself a chance at every signature event. Though it isn’t all-encompassing, an easier way of defining his success might be to say that he’s second in nearly every statistical category behind world No. 1 Scheffler.
While the Tour playoffs are still to come, Scheffler and Schauffele have already defined the season.
Scheffler and Schauffele have dominated, winning three of four majors and appearing on the leaderboard at nearly all of the signature events. They’re both on the United States’ Olympics roster, alongside world No. 5 Wyndham Clark and world No. 8 Patrick Cantlay. DeChambeau won the U.S. Open, but since he’s only allowed to play in majors due to his participation on the LIV Tour, he hasn’t gotten the same regular exposure that Schauffele and Scheffler have and he can’t be put into the same category.
The pair’s success certainly has a lot to do with their level of play, but it also coincides with other golfers’ disappearance. Rory McIlroy came as close as he possibly could to winning the U.S. Open, and then realized that maybe a lengthy break from golf wasn’t the best choice after not making the cut at the Open. He even said that after his first 22 holes that he began to think more about the vacation he’s going to take than the golf he was playing.
Clark’s another golfer that faded after winning his first major at last year’s U.S. Open. He started the year off strong with a win at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and two runner-up finishes at the Arnold Palmer and The Players, but missed the cut at the Masters, the PGA and the Open. He’s currently ranked No. 5 according to the Official World Golf Ranking, but he hasn’t lived up to expectations so far this year.
2023 BMW Championship and TOUR Championship winner Viktor Hovland has also had a down year. Hovland has yet to win a tournament this season, and his best finish was third at the PGA. Similar to Clark, Hovland missed the cut at the Masters and the Open, and doesn’t look like the player he was in 2023.
With those three golfers rarely finding themselves in contention, Schauffele and Scheffler have capitalized and done what others haven’t: won. That isn’t the entire reason why they’ve been successful though.
Since Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson signed deals with LIV in 2021, other top players have done the same. DeChambeau, 2022 Masters champion Jon Rahm and five-time major winner Brooks Koepka followed suit and signed lucrative contracts with the league. Those absences from the PGA Tour have allowed for others to take their place, but when those players aren’t performing it leaves even more room for someone to dominate. Scheffler and Schauffele have done just that.
There are still several remaining opportunities for golfers to make leaderboard appearances, but now that the majors are over any other win won’t have the same meaning. While players other than Schauffele and Scheffler have proven capable of winning, the rest of the season will be a mere preview of who can do some damage in 2025 and if they have any chance at catching up with the top two.