Top 30 Players to Watch in 2019: No. 22 Xander Schauffele

THE OVERVIEW His rookie season was always going to be a tough act to follow. Xander Schauffele, overlooked throughout his amateur career, leapt into the limelight with two wins in 2017, including the TOUR Championship. In a matter of months, he transformed from a Web.com Tour graduate worried about keeping his card to one of the game’s young stars. Schauffele didn’t win in his sophomore season but still played well enough to earn a return to East Lake. And then he started the 2019 season by putting an end to his brief victory drought. Just three days after turning 25, he overcame a three-shot deficit on a Sunday in Shanghai to win the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions and take over the lead in the FedExCup. He birdied the last two holes of regulation, then birdied the first playoff hole to beat Tony Finau. Schauffele has proven that he can never be counted out. He’s overcome a final-round deficit in all three of his wins. He also birdied the 72nd hole to either win by one or force a playoff in each win. “It just feels good to win again,â€� Schauffele said in Shanghai. He admitted that he “didn’t really know what I was doingâ€� when he first hoisted a TOUR trophy. He’s figured something out. Three wins in just 60 starts proves that. — By Sean Martin Click here to see who else made the Top 30 list. BY THE NUMBERS FEDEXCUP UPDATE Current 2018-19 position: 2nd Playoff appearances: 2 TOUR Championship appearances: 2 Best FedExCup result: Finished third in 2017 when he won the TOUR Championship. SHOTLINK FUN FACT Xander Schauffele is one of nine players with three or more wins since the start of the 2016-17 PGA TOUR season. INSIDER INSIGHTS PGATOUR.COM’s Insiders offer their expert views on what to expect from Xander Schauffele in 2019. TOUR INSIDER: Schauffele didn’t win in the 2017-18 season, but he saved his best showings for the game’s biggest events. He was runner-up at both THE PLAYERS and The Open Championship and finished sixth at the U.S. Open. He first burst on the scene with a T5 at the U.S. Open during his rookie season. A blue-collar approach serves him well on tough tracks. “That’s been engraved in him forever, to be tough,â€� said his caddie, Austin Kaiser. — By Sean Martin FANTASY INSIDER: Save Justin Thomas and Rory McIlroy, Schauffele probably gets more out of his frame than anyone else on the PGA TOUR. (Each is 5-foot-10 and just 160-165 pounds.) Already a winner again this season at the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions and threatening for position inside the top 10 of the Official World Golf Ranking, it’s just a matter of time before he secures a victory in a major.  But even if he doesn’t in 2019, expect him to sit higher in next year’s Top 30. Only a new fan to the TOUR needs to be made aware of the fact that he’s that good. — By Rob Bolton EQUIPMENT INSIDER: The most noteworthy pieces of equipment in Schauffele’s bag are his Callaway Forged prototype irons that have the equipment world in awe. Gearheads are anxiously awaiting word from Callaway about their release to the public. Schauffele made headlines in January 2018 when he signed with Callaway following his 2017 Rookie of the Year campaign. He now bags mostly Callaway equipment (fairway woods, irons, wedge and Chrome Soft X golf ball) and an Odyssey O-Works Red #7 CH putter, but he plays a TaylorMade M3 driver and Titleist Vokey SM6 56- and 60-degree wedges. — By Andrew Tursky STYLE INSIDER: Schauffele has the game and fashion sense to turn heads on the PGA TOUR. His style epitomizes the current state of golf fashion — classic looks with a sporty twist. Rather than going big and bold, he keeps his kits fairly simple and relies on razor-sharp fits to make a statement. — By Greg Monteforte

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