Xander Schauffele speaks to the media forward of the 2024 FedEx St. Jude Championship.
James Gilbert/PGA TOUR by way of Getty Photographs
The Olympic Video games appeared to scramble the brains of professional golfers concerned within the thrilling competitors at Le Golf Nationwide. Used to taking part in for cash and themselves, golf’s greatest have been thrown into the place of taking part in for his or her nations and no cash in any respect (not less than a few of them). The expertise drew out some sudden reactions and feelings from the PGA Tour’s greatest. Simply ask Xander Schauffele.
Schauffele, who captured his second of two 2024 majors simply earlier than the Olympics, was looking for his second-straight Olympic gold medal till a poor end dropped him out of medal rivalry completely. He may solely watch as his possibilities light away and Scottie Scheffler made his golden cost within the ultimate spherical.
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Chatting with reporters on Tuesday forward of the FedEx St. Jude Championship, Schauffele made it clear that regardless of all his success this season, his Sunday swoon at Le Golf Nationwide two weeks in the past nonetheless bothered him.
“I take pleasure in ending sturdy, and to do this was — I used to be fairly bummed out. I went from pondering I may have have a look at gold to perhaps silver, then to bronze, after which to, wow, I’m simply spectating now,” Schauffele defined. “That’s form of what occurred the final seven, eight holes of that match. In order that was a little bit of a bummer, particularly with how the followers have been on the market.”
Shortly after Scheffler had polished off his gold-medal victory, a self-described “butt-hurt” Schauffele determined to stay round for the medal ceremony. Scheffler, gold medal round his neck, notably acquired emotional when the U.S. Nationwide Anthem performed over the loud audio system.
He wasn’t the one one. On Tuesday, Schauffele revealed that on the identical time he was fuming over his unhealthy end, as soon as the American flag was raised in Scheffler’s honor he all of the sudden felt an emotional swing within the different course, filling up with pleasure and happiness for the World No. 1 who, regardless of having simply overwhelmed Schauffele, was finally on the identical crew as him in Paris.
“It’s bizarre; I’m not going to lie. It’s the weirdest feeling. I used to be watching from the form of household part, the rostrum, and when Scottie was up there and our flag was raised and he began crying up there, I used to be butt-hurt about my very own spherical, after which I used to be sitting there like, yeah, that is fairly cool,” Schauffele tried to elucidate.
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He continued, “I’d wish to assume I’m not — I might be rational most instances, however I felt so emotional in that state to the place I used to be butt-hurt about how I performed after which sorta proud and completely satisfied that Scottie received it. It’s such a — it’s arduous to elucidate, the swing of it. Then out right here this week taking part in with him these subsequent two days and we’re all simply making an attempt to beat our heads in. It’s a humorous feeling.”
When requested if the pleasure he felt was influenced by his personal gold-medal victory on the Tokyo Olympics, Schauffele recognized a special supply.
“I’m undecided. I believe it’s simply being American. You see your flag being raised and your Nationwide Anthem performed, and also you’re sitting there form of buzzing it in your head, and also you get that form of feeling that we don’t actually get too usually anymore.”
For now, Schauffele is again to taking part in for himself. He begins the FedEx Cup Playoffs in second place behind Scheffler, with a $25 million bonus on the road.
However shortly thereafter, on the finish of September, Schauffele will placed on some new crimson, white and blue gear because the U.S. crew takes on the Worldwide crew on the 2024 Presidents Cup in Canada.
