‘There’s no reason I can’t do it again,’ Schauffele says
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Xander Schauffele says he learned a lot about himself when he was stuck at home injured.
He took questions Monday during a news conference ahead of the 2025 Masters Tournament, and he says he feels he’s turned a bit of a corner mentally in the past month or so.
“I’ve never really dealt with injury before, so I’ve never really been sidelined,” he said. “I’m trying to find all the positives to attach to the situation, and me not being hurt before and sitting at home thinking all these thoughts, watching everyone else play golf and sort of fly by me, it’s been very motivating. Just trying to use that to perform at a higher level.”
What did he learn about himself when he was sitting at home?
“Maybe I was more emotionally unstable than I thought I was through certain weeks,” he said with a smile. “Everything is gravy when it’s gravy. It was a nice wake-up call to maybe be a little more responsible when need be.”
It was a reminder of how much he loves to play and compete, he said.
“Whenever things get weird or difficult, I just remind myself that if you want to win one of the biggest events that we play in, you’ve got to deal with these things, and whoever deals with these things the best will win,” he said.
“Like I said, I’m lucky to have a good team and have half my team, whether it’s physio or gym or something of that nature, to keep myself occupied. It’s not always about hitting the golf ball. It’s just part of it.”
It’s been motivating for him to watch the level of play reached by Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler.
“They’ve been playing incredible golf. Rory has been playing unbelievably well this year with a couple wins already and kind of breezing through what looks like hard golf courses,” he said.
“And it’s just what happens when you’re a really good player and you put things together. That’s sort of what happens. Luckily I was able to do that last year, and there’s no reason I can’t do it again.”
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