Why Xander Schauffele is going under the radar as a serious threat to win at least one major in 2026
Photo by Sam Navarro/Getty Images With so many world-class players finding form right now, you would be forgiven for overlooking how well Xander Schauffele is playing ahead of major championship season. It really felt as though the 2025 season was one to largely forget for Schauffele. An injury early in the year halted all of his momentum.
He missed out on making the Tour Championship for the first time in his career. A win at the Baycurrent Classic was a step in the right direction. However, he missed the cut on his first start of 2026 at the Farmers Insurance Open.
With that, it would be easy to look past Schauffele for the majors when the likes of Scottie Scheffler , Collin Morikawa , Jon Rahm , and Bryson DeChambeau have all won this year. Rory McIlroy , meanwhile, is not playing badly at all. But there are just a few signs that suggest that Schauffele is well-placed to win at least one major.
Xander Schauffele is edging closer to getting back to his best in 2026 Schauffele was arguably the PGA Tour ‘s most well-rounded player when he won two majors in the 2024 season. He was inside the top 12 for every single strokes gained category, except around the greens. He was second from tee to green, and 12th for putting.
Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images Admittedly, he is still some way off that level this season. However, he is 15th from tee to green, 21st for approach, and 33rd off the tee. While he began the week of the Valspar Championship in 53rd on tour for putting, he gained more than two shots on the field on the greens on Sunday at Innisbrook as he set the clubhouse lead early on.