Xander Schauffele continued his torrid stretch of championship golf Thursday, carding a 2-under 69 during his opening round of the Open Championship. The score might not sound overly impressive, but with how difficult Royal Troon Golf Course played, that was good enough to place him inside the top four.
The same, however, cannot be said for one of his playing partners, Tiger Woods.
Woods struggled throughout his round and finished with an 8-over 79. Once again, it appears like the 15-time major champion will be headed home early barring a massive turnaround Friday.
Following his opening 18, Schauffele provided some insight into Woods' poor play.
“I mean, he's only playing major championships. He's making it as hard on himself as possible, and I know he's hard on himself too. It's just hard. I think he's just learning. He's got to learn a little bit more about his body, what he can and can't do,” Schauffele said.
“I'm sure he'd like to prep more at home if his body would allow it… I'm not sure he tells you guys this stuff or not. But as a tour pro now, I kind of know what goes into it and what needs to be done to play at a high level. If your body is not letting you do it, it's just frustrating.”
Schauffele's comment rings true. Woods is playing just his fourth tournament of the year, with the previous three being the other majors. These are the stiffest tests in the sport.
Woods was seen wincing in pain as he walked the grounds of Royal Troon. He is clearly not comfortable out there. It cannot be easy when you are only playing championship courses.
Xander Schauffele hot play continues at The Open
Xander Schauffele finally broke through on a big stage this past May, capturing the PGA Championship. With the major monkey off his back, he has been able to take his game to a new level.
He followed that up tying for eighth at The Memorial and finishing T7 at the U.S. Open.
Schauffele has always been one of the most talented players in the world since he turned pro. But it appears he is finally putting it all together.
Following his round, he was able to comically explain how he put that into perspective though, playing alongside Woods.
“He [Woods] said congrats to me. He asked me how it felt on the putting green, then I asked him how it felt to have a hundred of them [majors]. We had a nice chuckle before the round.
“It puts it into perspective when you look at someone that done what he's done, only having one.”
If Schauffele can continue this level of consistency and focus, it is only a matter of time before he wins a couple more.
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