PGA CHAMPIONSHIP MEDIA DAY

April 21, 2025

Xander Schauffele

Quail Hollow Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Good morning, everyone. Thank you for joining us today. I'm Greg Dillard, The PGA of America's Championships Public Relations Director, and we are just 21 days from the start of the 2025 PGA Championship at Quail Hollow Club.

Today we are fortunate to spend some time with the defending PGA Champion, Xander Schauffele.

Xander, thanks for making some time for us. Let's start by taking a look back at 2024. Now that it's been almost a year, what stands out to you about that week at Valhalla?

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Yeah, any time I think back to Valhalla, Kentucky, I always smile. I think any time it's brought up with my team, it's a really happy moment for everyone. Just happy thoughts, honestly, when I track back to 2024 at Valhalla.

THE MODERATOR: That's great. And looking ahead to this year, we're heading to Quail Hollow, a place where you've played very well before.

What are your thoughts on that golf course?

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Just another great championship venue for the PGA Championship. I mean, it's held great events for quite some time now -- on that property during our normal TOUR stops.

So overall, I'd say pretty good feels when I'm on site there. But yeah, definitely excited to get back and try and defend the trophy.

Q. You mentioned your familiarity with Quail Hollow and of course the greens out there. But what's your familiarity with the city itself? Obviously it's a regular stop on the TOUR. But do you have any favorites? Obviously a lot of time on the course, but how do you typically spend your time here in Charlotte?

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Yeah, I feel like I haven't -- I'm one of the competitors, I don't know if it's because I don't have kids yet, but typically when I'm on site at a tournament I'm very much attached to the tournament or the event. Usually staying in a hotel that's close by or in a house, and kind of have my team with me.

I feel like I got a little bit more of the experience during the Presidents Cup when we competed. We were able to have a few of the local cuisine brought to us in our bubble, as you call it.

Overall, I don't feel like I've had the privilege or the opportunity yet to explore. I'm always stuck onsite or with my team at my house or kind of tucked away trying to get ready for the event.

Q. You're here for work, so clearly, that is the priority. But hopefully you'll have a chance to explore it soon. Thank you.

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Thanks.

Q. J.T. is a winner, and he gave you some credit yesterday from Hilton Head about putting, and golf is known for guys helping one another out, giving them advice and so forth. Could you maybe expound on what he said about, I guess, just giving him a set of fundamentals, a format for which he could follow from putt to putt?

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Yeah, J.T., he played great. I don't think I really have anything to do with him winning. He maybe gave me too much credit.

But he was pretty up front and asked if I could kind of tag along for practice one day. When I'm in town here, J.T. is a very familiar face that I compete against. It's one of the ways us folks here in Jupiter like to sharpen up before a tournament.

It was simple, he started asking me questions and it ended up me being the one asking him all the questions, sort of how he thinks about putting, what he's done in the past.

You know, I think more than anything, it was just sort of he was searching and maybe trying too hard, and he's done so many good things in the past that it was sort of like maybe an eye-opening, sort of like, I used to do, three, four, five of the things we were talking about, and I stopped doing them because I was down this crazy rabbit hole of trying to get better.

Felt like all the answers were right in front of him. J.T. is so good that he figured it out pretty quickly.

Q. Is there a measure of, it's not really buyer's remorse, but when you help a guy out, he goes on, he wins, he's won a PGA at Quail Hollow. Did you unleash a dangerous person?

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Like I said, he's giving me too much credit. He's always been so good. He's been a former No. 1 in the world.

I'm the one that was there before asking him what he was doing, how he prepared, how he competed. So it's a nice thing to be able to sort of play on teams with certain individuals and be able to sort of share notes.

Golf is kind of tricky. We keep a lot of stuff to ourselves, and like you said, we try to get ahead of each other but every once in a while, you know, if someone is struggling or you feel like you need a little pick-me-up, you can always talk to any of the pros around the area, which is a nice feeling.

Q. Can you go back to the final hole at Valhalla last year, knowing what you had to do, leaving yourself a little bit of a tough approach standing in a bunker and pulling it off? Like how much confidence did that give you, obviously in that moment, and obviously going forward to be able to make the birdie to win like you did, having not done that in a major before?

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Yeah, it's sort of -- I mean, I feel like when you're trying to win a major championship, you know, in the past, you hit -- in the course of 72 holes, you'll hit a roadblock at some point. And you just feel like -- you know, I read an article about, I think Randy talking about Scottie, and sort of having -- he used the idea of him being sort of a handyman and him being able to accomplish sort of anything based on the toolset that he's got.

I think when you're trying to win a major championship, you're going to hit some roadblocks along the way, and I like that sort of reference because it's sort of like how handy can you be.

So when I tie myself back to that last hole, I wasn't trying to hit it one foot in, one foot out of the bunker. I was trying to get it somewhere down on the green so I could hit it up on the green and 2-putt and make it easy for myself. But it was dramatic, and I felt like I had to dig pretty deep into my toolbox on sort of how to get the job done. It's always a good feeling when you can sort of dig deep and pull from old feelings or old thoughts in sort of your biggest moment of your life and I was able to do that.

You know, pretty happy. Pretty happy with that outcome, obviously.

Q. Were you able to draw on that at all later in the year, especially at Royal Troon, maybe, I don't know, if the heat of the moment, you're thinking back, Hey, I did this once before, type of an attitude?

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Yeah, a little bit. It's a mixed bag. The courses were completely different. But again, you know, like I said, you hit roadblocks at every point in any tournament, and especially at the major championships, they seem to pop up more often.

So I felt like I said in my media early that week at Troon, that I was able to fall back on my experience at Valhalla at the PGA Championship to sort of be like, Okay, I just did this not that long ago, I can do it again.

So if you're able to get in a little bit of a flow with the majors, they all are kind of stacked up so that if you are playing some good golf, you can kind of rattle them off. That's at least how I felt about it then.

Q. So I was looking at 2024, and obviously the two wins and looking at 2025, obviously you have the issues, your physical issues but you seem like you've finally come out of that after The PLAYERS. You've been playing pretty well. Can you just talk about your focus now from now until the PGA Championship, and with the understanding that you actually finished second at Quail Hollow last year?

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Yeah, I've actually fallen second twice at Quail Hollow, two years in a row.

So I'm aware that I've played really well there and come up short. I'm trying to sort of piggyback my rounds, or mainly my confidence, I'd say, coming back off of injury. I've been trying to just pick up the pace as much as possible. There's probably been a little bit of anxiousness in terms of playing at a high enough level to win. Feeling like a lot of guys are sort of passing me by.

Just trying to, yeah, like you said, sort of since the players, Masters was pretty solid. I felt like I played well last week. Felt like I played better than I finished. Kind of just how golf goes.

When you're not sharp enough, you kind of do that. Instead of giving yourself a better look at a Sunday, you kind of finish middle of the pack, and you kind of feel, you know, kind of "ugh" about the week. So overall, I think my confidence is slowing building, and I'm trying to allow that to happen versus sort of looking back at what I could have done better.

I'm excited. I am excited for the next stretch. I have played well at Quail Hollow. I think it fits my eye, and for whatever reason, I've been up at the top of the leaderboard for last two years. So I don't see why this year should be an issue.

Q. Outside of the confidence part, is there anything in your game that you feel like you're working on or need to work onto get yourself where you want to be?

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Outside of confidence, just the mental front. I feel coming back was trying to be too perfect. Trying to golf swing too much. And so trying to do enough work at home to allow myself to just play golf when I'm at a tournament. When things go sideways, being able to sort of self-correct in time during a round, or at least knowing sort of what my faults are.

I feel like that's tightened up a little bit, and you know, just really need to get back to you know, like just playing golf. Playing golf and if I need to play, if I'm playing really nice golf, play really nice golf for 18- or 20-something holes, and if it gets kind of ugly, let it get ugly and score.

Like, dig in that toolbox, sort of like Randy and Scottie referenced before. Dig in that toolbox and clean it up and then get back on the horse. Trying to get that front going sort of a little bit better than I have.

Q. Presidents Cup a couple years ago, obviously U.S. Open last year, and now the PGA back at Quail, what can you say about the level of championship golf in North Carolina, as well as the variety?

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Yeah, it's an unbelievable venue. You kind of just stated it. It's held big championships. Even our sort of, call it "normal TOUR" stop there, it feels like a big tournament. Even just because I think the venue and the way the tournament's run, and everything about that area just feels very -- the practice facilities, just how big everything is, it has that championship feel.

So I think everyone is obviously excited to get back on property there.

Q. I just wanted to ask you, like you said, second places the last couple years at Quail Hollow, and it wasn't a backdoor second place last year. You were in the final year, played really well, built a lead. Curious, you said it fits your eye. Does Quail Hollow, is it just something about your game matches up, it seems, right?

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: I think so. I guess writers call it horses for courses.

For us, we don't really -- golfers sort of play well in stretches and like certain courses for some reasons. I'm sure there's some analytics or statistics that could back that up.

But yeah, you just have to get on a property and you have to feel good, and the vibe has to be good, and I've sort of had that feeling when I'm on property there.

So you know, the hope is to sort of keep that going.

Q. Lastly, the next two major venues after that, Oakmont and then going to Northern Ireland, back to Portrush, what are your thoughts on those two courses?

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: I've played Portrush. It was an awesome Open. Excited to go back there. I think all Opens are unique in their own way and with weather and fans and all those good things, they present their own challenges.

Oakmont, I've heard, is the hardest course, pretty much every TOUR pro that I've talked to that has ever played. I'm excited to go on to see what everyone is talking about. I've never played there. May try and sneak out for a first look coming up here at some point.

Q. Everyone knows about the Green Mile here in Charlotte, but what else beside Quail Hollow makes it so hard?

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: I think the overall length of the property, the green complexes, the speed of the greens. You know, there's sneaky, sneaky trouble kind of lurking. It doesn't really -- people obviously see hazards and OB and things of that nature but some of those holes are sort of relatively wide open as you would call it from penalty area to penalty area.

But there are some big trees, and you really have to be in play to be successful on that property. I think that's sort of why I've played well is I've hit the driver really well there, and that kind of sets you up for success. It's a hard place to scramble if you're not hitting many fairways and kind in the rough and trying to work your way up to holes, it's not an easy place to get around.

So you know, I don't know if you'd call it a second-shot golf course or a predominately a tee-shot golf course, but it does feel like you have to do everything really well around that property. I know that doesn't really answer anything, but it's just how it works on that property.

Q. Referring to a couple guys talking about breaking the course up into different groups, like the first four holes are kind of similar to the next, and then you get to the Green Mile. Are you a guy that breaks the course down like that, or is it just taking it shot-by-shot?

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: I think shot-by-shot. I think when you're trying to game plan, you can sort of break it down but I don't like to, I've tried to do that, sort of, before. But when I'm playing, I just want to get in a good flow, and if you are going to go and birdie a tough hole, go birdie the tough hole.

Go birdie the hardest hole on the golf course. You've earned that. Don't sit there and think, Oh, my gosh, like I'm not supposed to birdie this hole.

I like to just get in a good flow and kind of see where the day takes me.

Q. Everybody is talking about Rory for some reason lately. You've had a few duels and you've had a few playoffs with him. Can you take us through the memories of being in contention with him, and what will it take at Quail Hollow?

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Yeah, thanks for bringing that up, Juan. The times I think about competing against him, I feel like he's gotten the best of me almost every time.

Thinking back to Quail, you know, I got the brunt of firing Rory McIlroy hitting it further and straighter than everyone, chipping and putting it better than everyone, and we kind of saw what that looked like in birdieing, I don't know, what felt like every hole on the back nine.

Looking back to China, played in a playoff against him. Lost. So I don't really know any other heads-up moments that we've had.

But he's obviously going to go down as -- I mean, he's accomplished the Grand Slam which is big congrats to him. He already was but is going to go down as one of the greats that I've ever played again.

Any chance you can get to sort of take him down or have a go, it's always a good time.

Q. And what is your advantage there? What do you think is going to make the difference, if you are to win?

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Just playing better. Hoping that -- I know I think I'm finally at a place where I feel like my good golf is good enough to be the best in the world. If I'm at a high level playing, competing, hitting it, I don't see why I shouldn't be able to beat anyone. I just need to get to that spot.

Q. Going back to that second shot and third shot on 18 at Valhalla last year, I guess from a technique and mechanics perspective, like the second shot looked pretty tricky. How did you approach that shot? And then like going into it, and then actually like the pulling it off part of it, and same thing for the third shot, that chip just to the left of the green.

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Yeah, it wasn't the most baseball sort of swing I've ever made in my career. Obviously the most stressful baseball swing I've ever made in my career and luckily the lip wasn't too steep. You know, just being about a foot above my felt, it felt like I could get a decent swing on it, or at least make it make decent contact.

The issue was sort of where the pin was and the hazard right, and having to aim, you know, 50 yards right and kind of hook it across, knowing that, you know, the angle of the iron was very upright. It was always going to hook. It was going to be impossible to sort of fade it from there. That brings the hosel into play significantly.

Just knowing that I've made that sort of pass at a golf ball before, just believing in my ability to get it done again. I wasn't really thinking about where I'm going to leave that, knowing it's going to be almost impossible to hit the green.

I think contact was No. 1 in my mind. Just don't hit off the toe, knowing the hosel is right there. Kind of getting scared and hitting off the toe would be my guess of a mis-hit. So luckily, it hit the center of the face to advance it sort of the furthest distance.

And then to the third shot, that was, I don't know, for me, pretty tricky. Sometimes when you're nervous, it's sort of nice to hit a shorter shot that there sort of trundle down to a hole versus having to hit something harder, at least for me personally when I'm nervous.

It always seems more difficult to swing harder around the greens. It's not like a driver, trying to hit a pitch shot that's up a slope and, you know, to sort of a backish pin. Really happy I was able to hit that inside. My goal was to hit is inside ten feet so hitting it to six or seven feet was a success for me.

THE MODERATOR: I think that's it, Xander. Really appreciate the time. Thank you.

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Thanks for having me.

THE MODERATOR: See you in a few weeks. Thanks, everyone.