What up w Xander?

[smashdn]

15 hours ago, nikeblades00 said:

Xander said he pured it. He said he was in attack mode being 2 down with 3 to play. I still he needed to choose his spots better, this wasn't a birdy hole. 

 

I haven't gone back to see the final round scores on 16 so I reserve the right to be wrong, but a hole with 8 iron in your hand and a hole cut in a spot where the ball funnels to it seems like a pretty good birdie opportunity for those guys.

[Pinky5]

He hit a draw when the shot required a slight cut into that green to stop it and use the slope to the hole. The draw spin takes it towards the water too much. Really not a bad shot in the moment. Golf is hard and sometimes the ball comes up a yard short.

[bladehunter]

Omg.  These responses.  It’s a draw halfway up the hill , all day everyday.  Don’t believe it. Go watch tigers 8 iron on Sunday in 19.  Draw swing , loop in , stick , then trickled back.  
 

one of two things happened to Xander. He 1. Jjst hit it fat. Or 2.   He teed it up a millimeter too much and caught it high on the face.   I personally use a tee on a par 3 but make sure it’s barely making for a good lie.  Never actually teed up.  High on the face is dead , everytime. 

Edited April 12, 2021 by bladehunter

[Vardon Grip]

I'm gonna start a new post, tees holding you back from winning? Aka: What up with tees?

[bladehunter]

3 minutes ago, Vardon Grip said:

I'm gonna start a new post, tees holding you back from winning? Aka: What up with tees?

Lol.  Don’t blame the inanimate object. It’s he guy who places the tee.  

[miamistomp]

 I don't really care. one of the legion of capable yet charisma-less players on the tour

Edited April 14, 2021 by miamistomp
spelling

[Bad9]

9 hours ago, anth said:

It’s not just today. There is a definite pattern forming. He gets into winning positions in big tournaments consistently and hasn’t been able to close the deal in a major (yet). 
 

IF I were a psychoanalyst I might be inclined to look into his relationship with his father. Seriously, he had an interesting upbringing and I’m wondering if subconsciously there is something going on...

 

But I’m not a psychoanalyst so what would I know?

He did it twice in the final round.

[chigolfer1]

1 hour ago, bladehunter said:

Omg.  These responses.  It’s a draw halfway up the hill , all day everyday.  Don’t believe it. Go watch tigers 8 iron on Sunday in 19.  Draw swing , loop in , stick , then trickled back.  
 

one of two things happened to Xander. He 1. Jjst hit it fat. Or 2.   He teed it up a millimeter too much and caught it high on the face.   I personally use a tee on a par 3 but make sure it’s barely making for a good lie.  Never actually teed up.  High on the face is dead , everytime. 

 

He says he flushed it.   Realize that might not necessarily be technically true but fwiw.  Maybe gust of wind?  

[chigolfer1]

1 hour ago, miamistomp said:

 I don't really care. When of the legion of capable yet charisma-less players on the tour

 

He's got a lot of charisma, weird player to pick to say he doesn't have charisma

[baudi]

 

 

Schauffele has all the shots. He just needs to play the right shot at the moment. Missing the first tee shot on 16 was a forced error - trying to prove too much as I interpret the situation. 

 

It is unfair to put down his loss on hole 16. He lost the match on 3, 4 and 5 with silly mistakes. The bump and run on 3; the wide bunker shot on 4 and the approach far over the green.

 

The resilience Xander showed after hole 5 - is a great asset. He will win his major(s) and the US Masters being one of them.

 

 

Edited April 12, 2021 by baudi

[manku]

29 minutes ago, baudi said:

 

 

Schauffele has all the shots and will win a major. He needs to play the right shot at the moment. Missing the shot on 16 was a forced error - trying to prove too much as I interpret the situation. 

 

It is unfair to put down his loss on 16. He lost the match on 3, 4 and 5 with silly mistakes. The bump and run on 3; the wide bunker shot on 4 and the approach far over the green.

 

The great resilience Xander showed after hole 5 - my goodness that is a huge asset. He will win his major(s) and the USMasters being one of them.

 

 

 

 

Resilience?  You shoot yourself out of the tournament, and then with no pressure or expectations anymore, start playing well (everyone here can relate to that).   Finally, when you actually have another chance to win, you hit one of the worst shots I've seen on the Sunday back nine in the past 30 years...and then take 4 more shots from the drop zone!

 

As for Xander winning a major, who knows?  Golf is hard, and you can't play defense.  Plenty of players had streaks of playing well in majors but never won.

 

He seems like a good guy, but I didn't realize how slow he played until Sunday.

[Krt22]

13 hours ago, iBanesto said:

15 feet further right, Schauffele would have been fine.

 

It is not the worst shot we've seen under the pressure,

 

 

Anyone who said he chunked it needs to watch this, that was all ball, divot well in front. He either didn't get the wind right or shut down the face a hair too much and it didn't carry as much

[baudi]

 

 

The point I want to make is not about having a streak - it is about prevention of forced errors. However, after a string of 4 birdies why a not try to add another?! So What made it a bad shot? The strike or the strategy? The route he chose was all about perfection. With a drop off to water and bunker in play this was not the percentage shot imho but the only one to judge is XS; probably his coach and maybe his caddy.  

 

The disbelief in his eyes after the third shot overshooting the green says it all. That was cruel.  

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

Edited April 12, 2021 by baudi

[bladehunter]

3 hours ago, chigolfer1 said:

 

He says he flushed it.   Realize that might not necessarily be technically true but fwiw.  Maybe gust of wind?  

Could have been that too.  I’m close to there.  It was blowing hard here. And changing directions by the second. 

[gsrjc]

21 hours ago, YMark said:

So since there was dirt on the club, your conclusion is that he hit it fat? Interesting.

That’s right. Got a problem with my interpretation. 

[trackcoach13]

14 hours ago, anth said:

I don’t think it was a choke. The swing looked fine and he was in control.

 

I think there is some sort of subconscious self sabotage going on.  He’s done this a few times now. The thing is he just throws in these wild mistakes or soft bogies right when you think the moment is there for the taking.

 

It’s strange. It’s completely mental, but it’s not choking. It’s something else

[Vardon Grip]

Does he owe money to the Russian guy from the 2012 blockbuster by the same name starring John Cusack?

[oikos1]

He'll be fine.  However, it was a "choke" in the context that most understand (" choke: to lose one's composure and fail to perform effectively in a critical situation") .  He was right there and putting pressure on his opponent and he either made a poor decision or executed the shot poorly.

 

Just goes to show how precise a Tour Pro has to be at that level. 

[Raving Shanker]

Maybe there's nothing wrong with Xander, and he'll get his share of wins, and a major or two. Maybe golf is difficult.

 

Whenever people bring up choking I always wonder how many people choked, and got away with it - like when you yip a chip and it goes in! I am pretty sure that Hideki was terrified from the moment he flew the green on 15, on. That was a gut punch after striking it so well.

[Cincy_Ken]

2 hours ago, Raving Shanker said:

Maybe there's nothing wrong with Xander, and he'll get his share of wins, and a major or two. Maybe golf is difficult.

 

Whenever people bring up choking I always wonder how many people choked, and got away with it - like when you yip a chip and it goes in! I am pretty sure that Hideki was terrified from the moment he flew the green on 15, on. That was a gut punch after striking it so well.

 

You're probably right.  For the number of years he's been on tour Xander's 4 wins are about in line with what you'd expect for a player of his talent.  There may be a little of a negative pattern with his run of 2nds since his last win but winning is really hard and usually putting yourself in contention regularly will lead to winning your fair share.  I'd be surprised if anyone's asking this question by the end of the year.

[Raving Shanker]

21 hours ago, Cincy_Ken said:

 

You're probably right.  For the number of years he's been on tour Xander's 4 wins are about in line with what you'd expect for a player of his talent.  There may be a little of a negative pattern with his run of 2nds since his last win but winning is really hard and usually putting yourself in contention regularly will lead to winning your fair share.  I'd be surprised if anyone's asking this question by the end of the year.

I wouldn't be surprised by anything, whether he wins a bunch or nothing at all. He's very talented, but this is golf!

 

I think 2nds are a good sign, not a bad one. Remember that Nicklaus had 19 runner-up finishes in majors, and five of those came in a playoff or by one stroke. Choker? No way! The great players just keep putting themselves up there in contention. I'm also reminded of Ariya Jutanugarn in the LPGA. At the2016 ANA Inspiration she had a two-stroke lead with three holes left and closed with three bogeys to finish fourth. That would have been her first LPGA win. I was worried for her. She then came back to win her next 3 starts, and then a British Open 2 months after that! We just never know.

[Cwing]

On 4/11/2021 at 7:41 PM, Dave230 said:

I can empathise after all the times at my humble level I've got a birdie, got pumped up and then dumped the next shot into the water/out of bounds. He'll learn for next time.

We call that the “ABB”. Short for “After Birdie Blues”.

[knickerbocker]

He is Rickie without all the commercials. 

 

When he is near the lead, he chokes.  When he is not, he is elite.   Every now and then, he doesn't choke and wins. 

[nosedive32]

On 4/11/2021 at 6:16 PM, MtlJeff said:

He's 27 and Phil Mickelson didn't win a major until age 33. Probably can give him some time , he's been in contention a lot. I mean Sergio and Adam Scott ended up winning majors. 

 

He'll get it done eventually

 

The difference is Xander has been struggling to get it done on Sunday in regular events and has admitted as much. Since you mentioned Mickelson, 

 

Xander Schauffele Wins Money list ranking First 5 full years on tour (played 2 events in 2016)

 

2017 2 Wins 12th Money

2018 0 Wins 18th Money

2019 2 Wins 6th Money

2020 0 Wins 11th Money

2021 0 Wins 3rd Money (current)

 

Phil Mickelson (Won as an Amateur in 1991, Turned pro mid 1992)

1993 2 Wins 22nd Money

1994 1 Win 15th money

1995 1 Win 28th money

1996 4 Wins 2nd money

1997 2 Wins 11th Money

 

 

Schauffele may outperform Phil on the money list 4/5 years but is getting boat raced in wins 11 to 4. Schauffele has 8 top 10s in Majors. Phil only had 6. Schauffele had 2 2nds. Phil had 0.

 

Xander is an incredibly consistent player. He has not proven to have that consistent "it factor" required to rack up a bunch of wins.

 

I don't know how much of it is "choking" or just not getting it done and whether its mental or what, but I can tell you I cannot ever recall someone in contention on Sunday at the Masters hitting it in the pond on 16. That's an absolutely terrible golf shot. I know he said misjudged wind this needed to hit it close and apply pressure that, but there is not margin for error trying to take a direct line there. You're more likely to hit it close playing out to the right and using the slope and there's almost no chance a right hander misses it wet if playing to the slope instead of the flag. Its unbelievably bad decision making and course management. Michael Breed talked about it on his radio show the other day and was absolutely dumbfounded. 

[mosesgolf]

Strange things happen at Augusta. Why did Molinari and BK hit into the water on 12 2019 that set the stage for Tigers win?  Jordan 12th hole 2016? Choke, wind?  The wind does strage things there as we've witnessed over the years?   Xander birdied 4 holes in a row to get within striking distance prior to 16.  Wind gust or grabbing the wrong club is not a choke. 

Tough place this village. 

 

[tacklingdummy]

From my couch surfing forensics and looking at the video, I don't think he hit it a little fat. If you look at his divot, divot was ahead of the ball. Compare his divot to the other divots next to his. Whether he flushed it or not, was the wind, or he pulled it, he knows. Doesn't really matter, though. 

[seis]

57 minutes ago, mosesgolf said:

Strange things happen at Augusta. Why did Molinari and BK hit into the water on 12 2019 that set the stage for Tigers win?  Jordan 12th hole 2016? Choke, wind?  The wind does strage things there as we've witnessed over the years?   Xander birdied 4 holes in a row to get within striking distance prior to 16.  Wind gust or grabbing the wrong club is not a choke. 

Tough place this village. 

 

Don’t forget Rory driving it into someone’s back yard...

[PowerFade36]

Nothing is wrong with Xander. Majors are extremely hard to win. The talent is there. He just needs a tad bit of luck to go his way on a Sunday. It will eventually happen.

[m d g]

What's up with Walter (Wally) Hirschfeld?

 

You probably don't know him but he's my neighbor.

 

He just can't seem to get off his right side and keeps coming over the top.

 

That, and his inconsistent chipping under the pressure of a beer bet is really holding him back.

 

Your thoughts are appreciated...I know that Wally will thank you. He's a great guy, even though he never returned the extension cord he borrowed for his Hanukkah display. 

[Raving Shanker]

5 hours ago, nosedive32 said:

... cannot recall someone in contention on Sunday at the Masters hitting it in the pond on 16...

There was Greg Norman! He hit the middle of the pond.