Xander Schauffele’s top five moments of 2022
The Hyland brand ambassador won or played an important role in five tournament victories.
Kevin Kleps
Content Marketing Specialist
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The Hyland brand ambassador recorded three victories on the PGA Tour for the first time in his career. Schauffele won or played an important role in winning five tournaments in 2022, further cementing his place among the game’s greats.
Schauffele’s year was so good, in fact, that being called “the most interesting man in golf” by The Athletic didn’t even crack his top five moments of 2022.
You might notice a (winning) theme from the top five, which is from Xander himself:
1. Travelers Championship
Schauffele’s victory in Connecticut was his first as an individual on the PGA Tour since January 2019 — a span of almost 1,300 days. It also marked the first time he won a PGA tournament after holding a lead entering the final round.
He capped his two-shot victory with a birdie on the final hole, then celebrated his first anniversary with his wife, Maya.
We should all have such good timing.
2. Genesis Scottish Open
Playing against one of the strongest fields in golf, Schauffele posted clutch birdies on the 14th and 16th holes, followed by a crucial par at No. 17, to win for the seventh time on Tour.
The one-shot victory over Kurt Kitayama gave Xander three victories in three countries in the span of 15 days. (I’d probably mention that first in my performance review.)
“It’s an incredible feeling. Big sense of relief,” Schauffele said after playing his “worst golf of the week” in the final round. “It was a very stressful day, and this is very rewarding.”
Xander’s idea of workplace stress might be different than yours, since millions aren’t watching you press “submit” on a big project or hit “send” on a really important message. But how we deal with the setbacks and finish the job is important, regardless of the size of the audience.
3. Zurich Classic of New Orleans
Xander teamed up with good friend Patrick Cantlay for a wire-to-wire win in which the pair set the tournament’s 72-hole scoring record. The victory in April was Schauffele’s first on the PGA Tour since the 2019 Sentry Tournament of Champions. He had eight — eight! — runner-up finishes between Tour victories.
“There are just so many variables in golf,” Xander told Hyland a couple months after his win in New Orleans. “Just because you’re playing well doesn’t necessarily translate to you winning. I think over time I became a little bit more uneasy and a little more impatient without really even realizing it.”
Patience, perseverance and focus are hugely important, whether you’re a decorated PGA Tour pro or a tech worker whose office doubles as a living space. Those X-factors helped Schauffele have one of the best years of his career.
4. JP McManus Pro-Am
Xander and his team rang in July 4 by setting the course scoring record at Adare Manor in Ireland. The first-round 64 was the highlight of Schauffele’s victory in the star-studded pro-am.
The win in Ireland occurred nine days after Xander captured the Travelers Championship. Five days later, he won the Scottish Open.
When things are going easy, “you just expect to play well all the time,” Schauffele told Hyland. “Sometimes it’s good to take a step back.”
Xander did that prior to the Travelers Championship. He then had what likely was the most prolific three-week stretch of his career — so far, anyway.
5. Presidents Cup
Xander’s 1-up singles victory over Corey Conners clinched the Presidents Cup for the United States. Schauffele was 3-1 in the Americans’ win over the International Team, which improved his career record in the Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup to a stellar 9-4.
During the event, Golf.com asked if Schauffele and Cantlay, who have been a phenomenal pairing in the international events, are “the U.S.’s new dominant duo?”
“Our style of play is very similar,” Schauffele said of his friend. “Throw it to the fat part of the greens, try to take advantage of par-5s, low stress.”
Cool, calm, collected — and mega-talented. Maybe we can’t be all of those things, especially not at once, but there are lessons we can learn from Schauffele’s highly productive year.
After missing the cut in the Masters, Xander reeled off three wins in the span of seven PGA tournaments. He closed the 2021-22 season by finishing tied for third and fourth in the BMW Championship and TOUR Championship, respectively.
He was fourth in the FedEx Cup standings — his fifth top-five finish in six years.
Congratulations, Xander, on a remarkable year. Your friends at Hyland will be rooting for you and can’t wait to see you accomplish even bigger things in 2023.