Xander Schauffele is looking to his major championship experience as he heads into the final round at Aronimink. Schauffele is within striking distance of the lead at the PGA Championship.
Schauffele’s Past Major Successes
Schauffele recalls struggling early in his major championship career. He spoke of feeling lost at times, describing it as “growing pains”.
Then he won the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla. Two months later, he won the Open. Schauffele says winning one major unlocked another.
Since then, Schauffele has felt different at majors. He feels close to the form that helped him win at Valhalla and Royal Troon.
The State of Play at Aronimink
Schauffele opened with a two-under 68 in Philadelphia. He followed that with a 73 on Friday. A birdie and a range session with coach Chris Como helped Schauffele to a four-under round on Saturday.
Schauffele is within three of Alex Smalley’s 54-hole lead. Ten players are within three shots of the lead. Thirty players are within five.
Schauffele described the course as an “absolute free-for-all”. He aims to stay focused with his caddie, Austin Kaiser, and control what they can.
A Crowded Leaderboard
The leaderboard includes several major champions. Jon Rahm is two back. Rory McIlroy and Patrick Reed are tied with Schauffele. Justin Rose, Hideki Matsuyama and Cameron Smith are four behind, and Scottie Scheffler is five back.
The leaderboard also features players without major wins. Alex Smalley’s best major finish is a T23 at the 2023 PGA. Nick Taylor, Matti Schmid and Aaron Rai have no top 10s in majors.
Schauffele’s Edge on Sunday
Schauffele believes he has an advantage over many of the players chasing Smalley. That is with the exception of Rahm, McIlroy, Rose and Reed. Schauffele believes that experience matters.
“Early on, I felt like there were times where 9 or 12 holes would pass, and I’m like holy smokes, I’m like five over par, like the whole what-is-happening thing,” Schauffele said Saturday at the PGA Championship at Aronimink.
The combination of wind, sloping greens and diabolical pins has led to a jam-packed leaderboard that promises high drama on Sunday.