Xander Schauffele finding new mindset to get winning again

DUBLIN, Ohio – Xander Schauffele is trying to adjust from the underdog mentality that led to much of his success as he looks to address his closing issues this season.

Schauffele played amateur and college golf amongst the likes of Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas but never gained the same exposure, leading to a determined mental spirit of trying to prove people wrong.

This competitive desire within saw immediate success as he burst onto the scene as the Rookie of the Year in 2017, winning twice including the TOUR Championship.

Even when he kept winning in following seasons ,Schauffele would continue to create the underdog theme in his mind as his success pushed him higher in the estimation of his peers and pundits alike.

But now, despite being in the midst of an impressive season that boasts six top-5 finishes and has him sitting sixth in the FedExCup, Schauffele says it’s time for a mindset adjustment. He is without a win since claiming the Sentry Tournament of Champions in January of 2019 and it is this fact that has the 27-year-old rethinking how he has approached the mental side of his game.

“I think it's funny… I think this whole underdog role is probably why I've been successful… and it's always important to play with a chip on your shoulder, but at the same time I think it might be the reason that's maybe holding me back in big moments,” the world No. 5 said as he prepares for the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide.

“When you're trying to win tournaments and once you're at the top of a leaderboard, you can't chase a ghost. So there's no one in front of you to sort of bite at and so I think mentally it's such a new realm for my brain that I'm just trying to process it all and really get more comfortable and think differently, once I'm at the top.

“I've talked a lot with my dad about that… (and I’m) trying to read some material that will help me sort of explore some new kind of avenues with how my brain will think.”

In all four of Schauffele’s TOUR wins he started the final round behind. On the four occasions he’s taken a 54-hole lead on TOUR he’s failed to close and the same is said for the four times he’s held the 36-hole lead and the one time he held an 18-hole lead.

Three of Schauffele’s near finishes this season have been runner up results. He was bested by Jason Kokrak at THE CJ CUP @ SHADOW CREEK, finished second to Patrick Reed at the Farmers Insurance Open and was overrun by Brooks Koepka at the Waste Management Phoenix Open.

April’s Masters also saw him well and truly in the mix before his tee shot on Sunday at 16 found the water allowing Hideki Matsuyama a passage to the green jacket and leaving Schauffele to settle for third place.

Coming off the back of a missed cut at the PGA Championship, which Schauffele attributed to a poor mental attitude, the four-time TOUR winner has put significant focus on his mind game ahead of an assault on Muirfield Village. He’s reprogramming himself.

“I think it's OK to chomp at the bit moving up, but once you're up there you got to be assertive and comfortable and do the right things still, you can't really be like waiting for someone to get ahead of you to chase again,” Schauffele explained.

“I still need to get to the top of the leaderboard to try out all these new things and I think all these experiences in the past are going to help me be more comfortable once I'm back there. But it's more of an overall thought process I'm trying to change moving forward.”