Xander Schauffele is on the mend and motivated as ever at the Masters

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Two majors made Xander Schauffele believe he was capable of winning them all. Two months out of golf with a rib injury is putting that belief to the test.

Schauffele is more than capable of winning the Masters. The proof comes from his birdie putt on the 18th hole to win the PGA Championship last May, followed by supreme control in tough conditions at Royal Troon to win the British Open last June.

The guy who couldn't win a major suddenly was halfway home to the career Grand Slam.

''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,'' Schauffele said Monday at Augusta National. ''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, previous accomplishments to sort of let that confidence grow.''

Even as the last player to win a major, the 31-year-old Californian is a little off the radar at the Masters. The focus is sharply on Scottie Scheffler, the world's No. 1 player and defending Masters champion, and Rory McIlroy, a winner already twice this year at The Players Championship and Pebble Beach to move past Schauffele to No. 2 in the world.

That's due mainly to his time away. He discovered an intercostal strain in his rib, along with a slight tear in the cartilage, that left him out of competition from the season opener at Kapalua until he returned at Bay Hill.

In the three tournaments since then, his biggest feat was extending his streak to 60 consecutive cuts in a row, the longest on the PGA Tour since Tiger Woods some 20 years ago.

But it's taken time and required patience.

More patience was in order on the first full day of practice at the Masters. The overnight rain and storms moving through the area allowed the gates to open at 8 a.m., but the course was closed at 11:30 a.m., and it eventually closed for the day.

''Sitting here bummed out along with the rest of the field that we can't practice today,'' he said.

Schauffele knows the feeling. He had two months of a lot of sitting, a lot of binge-watching of shows, a few dinners with friends he rarely sees, golf on television he hardly ever watched, anything but swinging a club.

He blamed himself for not recognizing a potential problem earlier.

''Felt a little unprofessional, felt irresponsible and I felt sad. Then I was motivated. Then I felt sad again. Then motivated, finally," Schauffele said. "I knew I was going to come back and play, I just didn't know when.

''I just want to go out and play golf and compete at a high level,'' he said. ''And that was stripped away from me.''

But not before he changed the script. Schauffele had played well enough, and contended at the British Open in 2018, the Masters in 2019 and 2021, and the U.S. Open in 2024 when he opened with a record 63 at Los Angeles Country Club, that he started carrying the burden of being among the best without a major.

And then in span of just over two months, he was halfway to the career Grand Slam.

''I kept telling myself that I'm far away and that I need to get way better and all those things,'' he said. ''And in fact, I was a lot closer than I thought.''

Where is he now? That's not easy to answer given the time away. Scheffler knows the feeling. He missed the first month of the season while recovering from minor surgery on his right hand, which was punctured by a wine glass while he was making ravioli.

Scheffler hasn't won going into the Masters for the first time since 2021. He feels close, and finishing one shot behind in the Houston Open two weeks ago validates that.

Schauffele's last start was at the Valspar Championship, where he was in the mix going into the weekend, fell back, finished strong and tied for 12th. It as progress, if nothing else, reaching a point where he felt a little freer with the swing and accepting of the outcome.

To see the run Scheffler has been on for three years and to see the renewed bounce in McIlroy's step after his great start to the year has been motivating. The Masters will be the first real test.

He is filled with self-belief — Schauffele believed he could win the career Grand Slam before he even got the first leg — and said he needs to lean on that more than ever.

''They've been playing incredible golf,'' Schauffele said about the two guys ahead of him in the world ranking. It's just what happens when you're a really good player and you put things together. Luckily, I was able to do that last year. And there's no reason I can't do it again."

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AP golf: https://apnews.com/hub/golf