Winning the PGA Championship is a big deal for any golfer, and so it is for Xander Schauffele, who enthusiastically awaited such a moment and realized his great desire. The 30-year-old American knew he faced a huge challenge. Many times before, he had come close to lifting Major trophies, but at the last moment, he would slip.
Entering the PGA Championship with such negative experiences is not an easy thing. There was enormous pressure on him, especially when he had the lead. Old memories of everything that had happened would come back, and such moments can be mentally exhausting for anyone.
However, just before the start of the tournament, Schauffele entered with a special mindset, ready to achieve his goal regardless of everything else. Xander emphasized after the tournament that positive self-talk is his weapon. He is someone who believes in himself, and that he can do great things.
“I believe in positive self-talk. I will tell myself, I’ll speak to myself. I just kept doing it. When you believe something enough, it’ll happen.”- Schauffele said, as quoted by Golf Digest.
Tiger Woods© Michael Reaves/Getty Images Sport
Schauffele is delighted after achieving his goal. He waited for his moment and it arrived. Xander received numerous messages and congratulations after the tournament, both from fans and from well-known golfers like Tiger Woods.
In an interview for GOLF’s Subpar Podcast, Xander revealed the message Tiger Woods wrote to him after the tournament. Woods emphasized Schauffele’s previous experiences, happy that the 30-year-old has finally reached the top when it comes to Majors. Such messages are a huge motivation for Schauffele moving forward in his career.
“He texted me, ya know, and I think he is right; he’s been through it all himself. But he texted me something along the lines of, ‘You know, all those times you were close, I think that hardened you for this moment … and I’m proud of you. It’s incredible. I couldn’t be more proud of you.’ That was an awesome text I got from T-Dub.”-Schauffele said.
Tiger Woods is someone who, despite injury, is passionate about golf and closely follows developments with huge attention. The 48-year-old golfer, due to injuries that pose significant challenges, cannot showcase his best. Nevertheless, Tiger patiently follows events and the games of his colleagues, ready to comment, praise, and offer advice.
Schauffele, as a child, followed Woods’ games, admiring him, and now, many years later, receives congratulations from Tiger after a brilliant performance. Do you need a greater motivation for victories than that?!
Schauffele explained that this victory has only increased his motivation. He compared it to a drug, expressing a desire to continually experience that feeling. He elaborated that his favorite sensation in golf is being in contention, regardless of the final outcome. A special motivation for victory arises when you achieve your long-awaited goal. In such moments, the pressure factor is also absent. Schauffele has accomplished his goal, and there’s no longer the pressure from fans and others.
The rush of being in the hunt during crucial moments is what he loves about playing golf and sports in general. He feels fortunate to have experienced that feeling often. While winning is certainly fantastic, being in contention at major tournaments is what he finds truly exciting.
Schauffele has received numerous messages, primarily from one of his coaches who criticized him for some moves, pointing out his mistakes. Xander realized in those moments that despite the victory, there are still some nuances he needs to work on to make such performances routine for him.
Xander Schauffele on the pressure of not winning the Major before the PGA Championship
Schauffele intends to raise many more Major trophies in the future, and for that, it will be necessary to improve the physical aspect of his game, as well as the mental aspect of it. This doesn’t mean that he isn’t already superior in some aspects, but it emphasizes that there is always room for improvement.
Following the tournament’s conclusion, the 30-year-old spoke about the lack of Majors and winning his first Major. Xander confirmed that he had never viewed things in such a way, believing that it takes time to achieve his goal. Of course, Schauffele admitted that pressure gets under your skin, and you feel like you have to win something, but he tried to resist that feeling. Now that he has won the PGA Championship, there are no more obstacles for him.
“I don’t think I’d ever look at it as lacking.
I looked at it as someone that is trying really hard and needs more experience.
All those close calls for me, even last week, that sort of feeling, it gets to you at some point. It just makes this even sweeter.”-Xander said.
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