It’s the nature of golf, and sports media punditry in general, that Tiger Woods should get all the headlines after his superb Masters triumph. It’s a great story, one that transcends golf and weaves its way into the most compelling narratives of sports – tales of comeback and redemption.
However, those who could avert their eyes from Woods would have witnessed an incredible four days of golf from Xander Schauffele. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but the 25-year-old gave enough in his second-place performance to suggest he too could be wearing a Green Jacket one day.
To be fair, Schauffele had one of those tournaments, almost unique to golf, where he was always near the top of the leaderboard, and sometimes on top of it, but it didn’t really feel like he would win it at any stage. There is no shame in that, nor is there anything to worry about. After all, Schauffele was just four-years-old when Woods was winning his first Masters in 1997. There is plenty of time for the young American to bag some Majors.
American proved resilient after open round
When analysing Schauffele’s four rounds, experienced golf coaches would probably pick a lot of holes in his game. He was a little too aggressive in his shot selection in the opening round of 73, evidenced by the five birdies and five bogies (including a double bogey on 18). The best of his game was seen in the second round, a sweet score of 65 to put him right into contention.
Yet, the most impressive aspect to Schauffele’s tournament was the way he bounced back under pressure on the Sunday. Bogies at 3, 5 and 7 seemed to derail his charge. His head went down; but, only briefly. Five birdies in the next seven holes followed, as Schauffele waltzed around Amen Corner and pushed on towards the finish. His calmness when getting out of trouble to save par on the 18th was remarkable.
Key to understanding Schauffele’s game is the fact that all the mistakes he makes are very fixable. Indeed, most should simply disappear with experience, and being around the top of the leaderboard for most of the weekend at Augusta will help immensely with that. He doesn’t seem to show much in the way of nervousness, and, if anything, would do well to have a bit more caution in his game. That, too, will surely come with a bit of time.
Woods favourite at scene of greatest triumph
So, when will the elusive first Major come along – if at all? UK betting sites have cut his odds for the US Open down to around 25/1 (William Hill) for the US Open at Pebble Beach, representing around a 40% drop from his Masters’ odds. Woods is, unsurprisingly, the new favourite for the tournament at 9/1, which was the scene of arguably his greatest triumph, the 15-stroke victory at the 2000 US Open. Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson just behind at 10/1.
A similar story is told for The Open at Royal Portrush, which has seen some sportsbooks drop Schauffele’s odds down to 28/1, although Sportingbet still hold out at 40/1. Rory McIlroy remains a firm favourite at 10/1 to triumph on a course just a few dozen miles from his hometown, with Woods an interesting 14/1.
While many punters will be jumping on the Woods bandwagon, it’s fair to say that he will never reach those great heights of the early millennium again. For Schauffele, however, the sky is the limit. We know we are blessed with some brilliant young golfers at the moment, but the fearless, former Rookie of the Year, has a big opportunity for a bright future. All he needs to do is grasp it with both hands.
