PONTE VEDRA BEACH — Contend as typically as Xander Schauffele does on the PGA Tour and likelihood is you are going to end second a couple of instances alongside the way in which. That is the case for everyone not named Tiger Woods or Jack Nicklaus, each of whom, by the way in which, had their share of runner-up finishes, too. It is onerous to win out right here. Schauffele, who does have seven tour titles to his credit score, is keenly conscious of this truth.
To win on Sunday on the Gamers Championship, notably given how ripe the situations have been for scoring, was about as onerous because it will get. Even whenever you’re within the closing group like Schauffele was, even whenever you possess the all-around expertise that always makes the California native one of many betting favorites every time he tees it up, and even whenever you begin one underneath by means of two within the closing spherical, there’s completely zero assure of a triumph. It additionally actually does not assist issues when Scottie Scheffler, injured neck and all, makes his inevitable cost from 5 strokes behind.
However my goodness, none of that makes it any much less maddening to observe Schauffele come up painfully brief once more. He should not have, both. He had six ft for birdie on the iconic seventeenth gap to match Scheffler’s 20-under complete, solely to overlook the putt. And he left an eagle putt two ft brief, proper within the coronary heart, on the par-5 sixteenth minutes earlier. There was additionally a missed nine-footer for a must have par on the fifteenth gap, his second straight bogey on the worst potential time. It was proper there for the taking. Schauffele had it.
Schauffele, sadly, has a behavior of “having it” after which letting it slip proper by means of his fingers all too typically. Sunday’s tie for second marked his thirteenth runner-up end on the PGA Tour, and this one someway felt like probably the most painful of all. Outdoors of Scheffler, who turned the primary back-to-back winner within the historical past of the Gamers, Schauffele would have been proper up there as one of many tour’s dream winners because the the LIV v. Tour saga continues to play out. It could have been his largest win to this point, larger than the 2018 Tour Championship and larger than his 2021 Olympic gold medal (although that is relying on who you ask).
In fact, one may argue that Schauffele has had extra painful intestine punches earlier than. He was tied for the 54-hole lead on the 2018 Open Championship at Carnoustie and shot three over to tie for second. On the 2019 Masters, Tiger Woods clipped Schauffele, in addition to Brooks Koepka and Dustin Johnson, by one stroke. Two years later, Schauffele stood on the sixteenth tee at Augusta Nationwide having simply lower Hideki Matsuyama’s result in two strokes with 4 straight birdies. He promptly made a triple and wound up tied for third. The person is aware of ache.
“These suck,” Schauffele stated of his historical past of shut calls. “After I went to mattress final night time, it isn’t precisely how I envisioned strolling off the 18th inexperienced.”
Schauffele would have most popular a pleasant mic drop, which is strictly what this may have been had he completed off his third-round lead. Earlier this week, when requested concerning the present consecutive made-cut streak he is on (now 41 straight), Schauffele stated “I play to win and I do not play to make cuts, so it makes it simpler to make the lower whenever you’re enjoying to win.” Forgive us for the web terminology, however a Schauffele victory would have despatched this PGA Tour tweet on to the meme Corridor of Fame.
As a substitute, the “Xander cannot shut” narrative will proceed. The haters might be out in full drive on social media. Schauffele, taking this one like a champ, as at all times, says he’ll be becoming a member of them.
“I’ll lick my wounds,” he stated. “I am going to in all probability be a part of them within the Haterade at this second. It’s what it’s.”
Schauffele will hold in there. He at all times does. Anybody who comes this shut time and time once more and comes again for extra is solely constructed totally different. Plus, there are at all times nonetheless a couple of positives to take with him as we head into one other main championship season, the place all eyes might be on him but once more.
“A ton of positives. I have never cracked an egg since they moved this match to this time of yr,” Schauffele stated. “To hold in there with the most effective of them is nice for me to know. I got here in second … misplaced by so much although to Webb [Simpson, in 2018], I consider, when it was agency and quick. That second felt totally different. This one sucks just a little bit extra, however simply one other shut name.”
All of them equally suck. However all it takes is one (main) win to make you overlook simply how dangerous. Ask Sergio Garcia, Dustin Johnson or Phil Mickelson, who all lastly climbed the mountaintop once they have been of their 30s. Schauffele turned 30 this previous fall. You possibly can make the case that a few of his greatest golf remains to be forward. It was for all three of these guys, too.
For this night, although, it is 12 phases of grief time. He is been by means of that earlier than, and he is come out of it simply fantastic each time.
“I inform myself on a regular basis, in case you’re attempting to win you have to stroll by means of the hearth,” he stated. “And in case you’re capable of stroll by means of unscathed, then you are going to win the match.
“My dad instructed me a very long time in the past to commit, execute and settle for. I am swallowing a heavy dose of acceptance proper now, however that is type of what I did. I attempted to commit, I executed poorly on some photographs, and right here I’m accepting it.”