Why Xander Schauffele might be the Masters’ forgotten man for 2025 tournament

He won both the PGA Championship and The Open, finished in the top 10 in all four of golf’s major championships and tied for fourth in the season-long FedEx Cup standings in an amazing 2024 season.

He is third in the official World Golf Rankings, has not missed a cut in almost forever, won the 2021 Olympic gold medal and owns a major-tournament record to envy.

Yet, with only a few days before the 89th Masters, Xander Schauffele is almost anonymous in pre-tournament speculation.

Part of that is the spotlight placed on Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, the only two players ahead of him in the world ranking. But the lack of attention is more about his recovering from a rib injury that has restricted him to four starts this year.

So ...?

“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think I could win,” he said Monday.

Indeed, overlooking him could be a mistake.

Look at his record in majors: 30 starts, 15 top 10s and another eight inside the top 20. At the Masters, he tied for second in 2019 and made a late charge two years later and has four top 10s in his last six trips to Augusta.

The rib injury has clouded his year. He tried to play in the season-opening Sentry and tied for 30th. But healing required rest, and he did not play again until March. He finally saw progress in his third start, the Valspar, with a tie for 12th that included a final-round 66.

“I kind of picked up the pace in terms of hitting a lot of golf balls,” Schauffele said. “I’m not going to sit here and say that I felt amazing all week. ... With the wind kind of swirling and your approach being very important, you can get a little tight out there.

“Just knowing that I want to get to a good place, maybe I freed myself up that week, just sort of let the ball go wherever it’s going to go, instead of two hands on the steering wheel, gripping tight, just kind of let it be. It turned into a really good week in terms of approach.”

But the waiting was anything but easy. He had never dealt with an injury that kept him on the sidelines and he chomped at the bit to get back to the game.

In the process, he learned “how much I love to play and compete,” he said. “... Not that anything terrible happened, but you sort of take it for granted when you’re playing healthy golf, and it’s nice to be back playing and feeling healthy and strong.”

Schauffele watched tournaments on TV, of course, and, yes, he noted the quality of play.

“Motivating,” he said. “There’s so many guys that have played at a really high level, and, luckily, I’ve learned I can play at that level.

“Rory has been playing unbelievably well this year with a couple wins already and kind of breezing through what looks like hard golf courses. 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.”

The opportunity to draw on the experience of 2024 will always be a positive for Schauffele; only Scheffler’s stunning year overshadowed him.

“I know what I’m capable of when I’m feeling good, when I’m not thinking of anything but getting the ball in the hole,” said Schauffele, who’s still among the favorites to win the Masters this week. “It’s been a process to get back to that. I don’t have a ton of reps doing it, but there’s a lot for me to draw back on, sort of previous accomplishments to sort of let that confidence grow.”

The pundits point out his game must be a bit rusty, given his lack of competitive play this year. But he’s not listening. He came to win.

When are tee times released?

Tee times for Thursday’s first round and Friday’s second round are typically announced by lunchtime Tuesday.

Augusta weather forecast

According to the National Weather Service

• Tuesday: Morning low 48, then sunny with a high near 70
• Wednesday: Morning low 43, then sunny with a high near 69
• Thursday: Morning low 45, then sunny with a high near 78
• Friday: Morning low 54, then mostly sunny with a 40% chance of showers before 2 p.m.
• Saturday: Morning low 46, then sunny with a high near 68
• Sunday: Morning low 43, then sunny with a high near 72

Masters TV coverage this week

• Wednesday: Par 3 contest, noon, ESPN Plus; 2 p.m., ESPN
• Thursday: Round one, 3-7 p.m., ESPN
• Friday: Round two, 3-7 p.m., ESPN
• Saturday: Round three, noon to 2 p.m., Paramount Plus; 2-7 p.m., CBS
• Sunday: Round four, noon to 2 p.m., Paramount Plus; 2-7 p.m., CBS