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Xander Schauffele has described his year as ‘bad across the board’ ahead of his attempt to defend the Claret Jug at The Open next week.
The world No 3 missed two months of the season after a rib injury became unmanageable in January and has since managed only a single top-finish from 11 starts in 2025.
Having claimed two majors last year, the drop-off by one of the golf’s most consistent performers has been dramatic, with the American pinning hopes on a significant upturn at the Scottish Open this week.
Given Schauffele’s success on links courses, most conspicuously in winning The Open at Troon last year, a strong showing here at the Renaissance Club should not be discounted prior to the campaign’s final major at Portrush.
However, his self-assessment of recent results was withering.
He said: ‘I’d say the belief is good. But I don’t think I’ve given myself a lot of reasons to believe that I’m playing okay. It’s been a pretty bad year to be completely honest.
The world No 3 missed two months of the season after a rib injury became unmanageable in January
Schauffele, who is bidding to defend the title he won 12 months ago, described his year as ‘bad across the board’
‘I’m trying to do a lot of things, and I think the best part of my game has probably been my mental fortitude, whatever you want to call it, just to try to stay positive and behave as if I am playing really well. But coming off a year like last year, getting hurt, coming back, my expectations and playing ability have not cued up very nicely.
‘It’s been a weird year for me just from coming off the year I had last year, disappearing and then playing bad coming out of it.
‘So any expectation I had of whatever I thought I was capable of doing, from a feel standpoint last year, has been sort of reset and I am in full chase mode, like a kid. I’m trying to get into some sort of contention to try and feel something again, other than upset.’
