Schauffele surprised by game after time off ahead of Ryder Cup
Two months after rib injury and the birth of his first child, Xander Schauffele is surprised by how well he’s played as Team USA readies for Bethpage.
Xander Schauffele says he’s surprised by how well his game has returned after taking time off ahead of the Ryder Cup at Bethpage. On paper, he’s something of an unknown this week, having dealt with a rib injury that sidelined him for about two months, failing to qualify for the Tour Championship for the first time, and not playing since mid-August while his wife, Maya, gave birth to their first child. Still, through two days of practice, he has surprised himself with the level of play as Team USA prepares for the event.
Schauffele has faced a demanding year. He took three weeks off after the BMW Championship and began ramping back up about two weeks before Bethpage. He did not attend the Team USA tune-up in Napa two weeks ago, a session in which most teammates participated, aside from Bryson DeChambeau, who was excluded amid his LIV Golf status. He said he is encouraged by how his game has responded after stepping back from competition and is hopeful the momentum carries into the Ryder Cup.
Schauffele described a two-day stretch as "surprisingly nice" and said, "I feel like after these two days, surprisingly playing kind of nice. I know, I surprised myself when I came out." The break from competition also provided time with his wife and their newborn son, Victor. "I miss him a bunch," Schauffele said, noting that he had to "rip the Band-Aid" when leaving the house to play and that the moment was emotionally charged as he prepared for his third Ryder Cup.
Team USA’s lineup in practice featured Harris English, Russell Henley, Collin Morikawa and Scottie Scheffler in one group; Bryson DeChambeau, Ben Griffin, Justin Thomas and Cameron Young in another; and Sam Burns, Patrick Cantlay, J.J. Spaun and Schauffele in a third pairing. For Team Europe, Tommy Fleetwood, Shane Lowry, Rory McIlroy and Justin Rose led the first group, followed by Rasmus Hojgaard, Viktor Hovland, Robert MacIntyre and Sepp Straka, with Ludvig Aberg, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tyrrell Hatton and Jon Rahm forming the final quartet.
Luke Donald, who captains Team Europe, has acknowledged the likely appearance of NBA legend Michael Jordan in Team USA attire this weekend and said Jordan is unlikely to offer direct advice this time. Still, Donald has drawn inspiration from his longtime friendship with Jordan; the two once played golf together in Chicago during Donald’s college years, and Donald has cited Jordan’s example as shaping his belief in the power of a cohesive, team-oriented approach. "You can be a team of champions but not a championship team. You always need the people around you. You’re always stronger being a collective," Donald said, reflecting on lessons from the six-time NBA champion.
Keegan Bradley, who is serving as captain this week in his rare position as a top-20-ranked leader, will become the first golfer to captain a Ryder Cup team while ranked inside the top 20, according to Elias Sports Bureau.
As Schauffele seeks to translate his late-summer return to form into a green-light performance for Team USA, the player himself says the recent progress has exceeded his expectations. A strong showing at Bethpage would provide a meaningful boost for a United States squad aiming to recapture momentum on the global stage, and for Schauffele personally, could help him move past the distractions of 2025 toward a standout Ryder Cup performance.