Take a Bow, Xander Schauffele

Happy Wednesday everyone, and welcome to the first installment of my, Take a Bow, segment! Each week, I want to highlight someone in the world of golf that’s deserving of a standing ovation, and to, well, take a bow. Subjects of the segment might be a golfer coming off a great back nine to win a tournament, or an announcer that reaches a milestone. It could be a fan in attendance that the cameras can’t take their lenses off, or a viral video of a kid hitting a hole in one. If its worthy of applause, then it might be in the next Take a Bow article!

The player I want to highlight this week, is none other than my favorite golfer of 2017; Xander Schauffele.  Xander is one of the many fresh faces appearing on our screens Sunday afternoons, and for good reason. Most eyes will be on Tiger Woods, as he returns to Torrey Pines, mine included, but before we get overwhelmed with Tiger fever, let’s take a step back and applaud a new face to the game. On Tuesday, during a press conference held at Torrey Pines, Jay Monahan, PGA Tour Commissioner, presented Schauffele with the Rookie of the Year award for his excellent play this past season. It wasn’t the only trophy Monahan handed Xander this year. His 2017 award winning season was sealed with his win at East Lake Golf Club in September when he went on to win the final round of the FedEx Cup playoffs, the Tour Championship.

Xander Schauffele of the United States celebrates after winning the…

Xander Schauffele of the United States celebrates after winning the season-ending Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia, on Sept. 24, 2017. ==Kyodo Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

Xander had to fight tooth and nail to even get to the Tour Championship. At the BMW Championship the week before, he was ranked 32^nd in the FedEx cup rankings, and needed to move at least two spots to get into the top thirty to make it into the final leg. He went 6-under in the final six holes to advance all the way to 26^th, and make it to the finals. Fast forward one week, and as Sunday came, he was in a chase for his second career win. Xander went on to Birdie the 72^nd hole and to beat the eventual FedEx Cup winner, Justin Thomas. He became the first rookie ever to win the Tour Championship, and ended his 2017 year third in FedEx cup rankings, and 12^th in money list rankings, pulling in a little over 4.3 million in earning. Not bad for a 24 year old.

Interesting side note; he is the fourth member of the 2011 high school graduating class to win the Rookie of the year award. He joins Jordan Spieth, Daniel Berger, and Emiliano Grillo to win in their rookie season. Not a bad list to join.

Not only did he win the award before the Farmers Insurance Open, but the cherry on top is that he is celebrating this achievement basically right at home. A Southern California boy himself, Xander went on to be one of the best collegiate golfers playing for San Diego State, and of course, Torrey Pines is located in beautiful San Diego California. He should feel right at home, considering he is playing this weekend with two SoCal boys, Bud Cauley and Rickie Fowler. This will be the first time Fowler and Schauffele play together, but not the first time engaging. It might be a little daunting to go to new cities and new courses every week for a 23 year old rookie, so he has taken the advice from his California mates like Fowler and Charley Hoffman. Xander jokes that he would text Hoffman wondering where locker rooms were and where to park at different events.

Xander Schauffele of the US tees off on the 10th hole during the…

Xander Schauffele of the US tees off on the 10th hole during the first round of the 2017 CIMB Classic golf tournament in Kuala Lumpur on October 12, 2017. / Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

Xander has been on the Daily Fantasy Sports radars all last season due to his cheap price tag, and scoring ability, but I have a feeling he will be a household name come the 2018 season. He’s already caught the attention of new sponsors. Xander is now only the second ever Rookie of the Year to change clubs after an award winning season. As of a couple weeks ago, Schauffele will throw away the Taylor Made clubs and take on his new Callaway’s. He said he practiced a lot with the Callaway’s, and expects them to take his game to the next level. Really, the sky is the limit for this kid, considering what his goals were for his first year. When asked what he wanted to accomplish in his first year on tour, he answered with the most humble answer possible. All he wanted was to keep his tour card, and give himself a chance to play again next year. If someone told him as a 23 year old he would make 20 out of 28 cuts, have 11 top 25’s, 4 top 10’s, and have two wins to his name, not to mention immediate qualification for all the majors in 2018, he would probably call you crazy. But what do you expect from a kid that still drives around in his Toyota Camry. The only thing better than his swing, is his humility, and that is applause worthy.

Get used to the name Xander Schauffele, because I have a feeling we will be hearing his name very often this season, and as early as this weekend at Torrey Pines. He missed the cut both times playing at Torrey Pines, but with his new confidence, Callaway clubs, fresh hardware, and of course, his Toyota Camry, he might push himself into the discussion Sunday Afternoon. No matter where he places this weekend, he is still deserving of a round of applause! Xander Schauffele, take a bow!

Cover Image Via Twitter