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With the wind whipping, the pressure building and the four final holes of The Players Championship staring him in the face, Xander Schauffele nearly snatched the Gold Man trophy away from everyone.
As challenger after challenger stumbled at a wind-whipped Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, Schauffele weathered a hair-raising finishing surge, a final round at 3-under 69 and a third-place finish at the PGA Tour's flagship event.
His final score of 11 under for the tournament placed him two strokes behind champion Cameron Young and one behind runner-up Matt Fitzpatrick.
His last four holes — birdie at the par-4 15th, birdie at the par-4 16th, par at the Island Green on the 17th and birdie at the feared par-4 18th — launched him into prime position to profit had Young and Fitzpatrick faltered. It was a second chance for Schauffele, who took the lead during the second round before sliding backward with a third-round 74.
"It was hard, for sure," he said. "Definitely had some weird things kind of happen there. But all in all, 3-under today was a good score."
How did he do it?
At the 15th, he hit his approach within 7 feet, 7 inches to set up a birdie. At the 16th, he nearly found the green in two, chipped to within 5 feet, 9 inches and again made birdie. At the intimidating 18th, he dared to take on the fairway's left side and earned his reward, sinking birdie from 20 feet.
He came barely a foot away from a 4-for-4 finish. After an approach to the front of the Island Green on 17, he nearly sank a 50-foot putt and converted par from 13 inches.
Instead of victory, 2026 joins a growing list of Ponte Vedra near-misses for Schauffele, who stands No. 10 in the Official World Golf Ranking with 10 PGA Tour titles and success in the PGA Championship and British Open in 2024.
Even third place at The Players, though, brings hefty rewards: $1.725 million and 350 FedEx Cup points.
"This weekend when you're in those later groups, it's playing a little bit harder. It's a little crispier. The wind is up," Schauffele said. "But you kind of know what you need to do to earn it around this property, and just happy to have stuck in it."
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Xander Schauffele's strong finish at The Players
Continue reading...
As challenger after challenger stumbled at a wind-whipped Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, Schauffele weathered a hair-raising finishing surge, a final round at 3-under 69 and a third-place finish at the PGA Tour's flagship event.
His final score of 11 under for the tournament placed him two strokes behind champion Cameron Young and one behind runner-up Matt Fitzpatrick.
His last four holes — birdie at the par-4 15th, birdie at the par-4 16th, par at the Island Green on the 17th and birdie at the feared par-4 18th — launched him into prime position to profit had Young and Fitzpatrick faltered. It was a second chance for Schauffele, who took the lead during the second round before sliding backward with a third-round 74.
"It was hard, for sure," he said. "Definitely had some weird things kind of happen there. But all in all, 3-under today was a good score."
How did he do it?
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At the 15th, he hit his approach within 7 feet, 7 inches to set up a birdie. At the 16th, he nearly found the green in two, chipped to within 5 feet, 9 inches and again made birdie. At the intimidating 18th, he dared to take on the fairway's left side and earned his reward, sinking birdie from 20 feet.
He came barely a foot away from a 4-for-4 finish. After an approach to the front of the Island Green on 17, he nearly sank a 50-foot putt and converted par from 13 inches.
Instead of victory, 2026 joins a growing list of Ponte Vedra near-misses for Schauffele, who stands No. 10 in the Official World Golf Ranking with 10 PGA Tour titles and success in the PGA Championship and British Open in 2024.
Even third place at The Players, though, brings hefty rewards: $1.725 million and 350 FedEx Cup points.
"This weekend when you're in those later groups, it's playing a little bit harder. It's a little crispier. The wind is up," Schauffele said. "But you kind of know what you need to do to earn it around this property, and just happy to have stuck in it."
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Xander Schauffele's strong finish at The Players
Continue reading...
