SENTRY TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS

January 8, 2021

Xander Schauffele

Plantation Course at Kapalua

Quick Quotes

Q. What a great way to finish. So that means you're fully back from everything, right? That eagle on 18?

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Yeah, it helps. It's always nice to finish that way. Caddie's happy, don't have to go do any putting drills, so all smiles all around.

Q. Well you should have a lot of smiles at this golf course too, it's been very good to you over the years. What is it about this place that you like so much?

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: I don't know, it's just an awesome place to start. Typically, you know you've won a tournament the previous year, obviously I snuck in this year. So, I don't know what it is, it just kind of fits my eye. Usually it's a little more windy, you got to sort of do all things in your game correctly and it's just like, to me, it's just a lot of fun to play, because you're on these massive hills and a ton of wind and kind of weird breaking putts, so it's just kind of fun.

Q. How long was that putt?

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: I don't know, the putt was a, I paced it off and then I forgot what the number was, so I gave up. I wasn't going to pace it off again.

Q. About 81.

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Yeah, I think I counted 27 paces, so close to that.

Q. Before or after?

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: I always pace before. But I forgot.

Q. Why?

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Just to kind of know if I make an 81-footer I can pat myself on the back.

Q. Always a nice way to finish a round, just assess the rest of the round.

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Yeah, I mean, I threw in a nice 3-putt earlier, some dumb mistakes here and there the last two days, trying to stay as patient as possible. I felt a little more strength walking up the hills today than yesterday. But, yeah overall very happy, that finish helps sort of help me climb back in, I'll probably be three to five shots back at the end of this day and kind of just need to go back out tomorrow and do the same thing.

Q. Were you still kind of feeling some of the effects from COVID?

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Yeah, my shins hurt, which is really strange. They have never hurt from walking. I've kind of ran on a treadmill before and they have kind of hurt before, but usually walking up hills doesn't usually do much to me. But it's kind of a challenge, so I, you know, it is what it is, I'll be in the ice bath tonight.

Q. Do you think that rust-related, rust meaning being down and out?

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: A little bit, just sort of feel versus real awareness, a few mental mistakes, shot selection mistakes that I've made, but I'm just trying to take it day by day and shot by shot. It's sort of beginning of the year, everyone's got a little bit of rust, obviously, and some more than others, some don't have any, and I'm obviously at the point where I'm kind of battling -- my good shots are great and my bad ones are kind of they're whatever to me, so I'm trying to have a really good attitude and push through.

Q. Were you talking to your dad before you left the range seemed like a swing thought maybe on the pace of your back swing or your down swing?

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Yeah, it was sort of an idea he had, he didn't want to tell me, I forced him to tell me and then I told him that we'll talk about it later after he told me. So one of those things where just sort of trying to get in the rhythm and swing of things and he sort of had an idea for me and I felt like I had my own idea that was okay, sometimes it really works out great, sometimes it doesn't. So it's all good.

Q. So coming into your fifth year on TOUR, how do you build a schedule?

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Yeah, where I'm comfortable, where I play well at, certain breaks here and there, obviously playing around majors and THE PLAYERS and WGC's as much as possible. But for the most part I think I kind of know the schedule, it seems to be changing each year. It hasn't been -- with COVID happening, there's a schedule switch like two years ago, everything's kind of a little bit strange. So it's funny how everyone's got to deal with it, obviously, but you kind of got to pick and choose your spots.

I'm obviously a West Coast guy, so I'll kind of hang around the West Coast as much as possible and then kind of wiggle out to Florida whenever I have to and then kind of move back.

Q. When you talk about the majors, THE PLAYERS and gearing up for that, what's important for you at the tournaments leading up to those?

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: I think playing well, obviously. Just making sure I'm healthy, for starters, that would be a hot start. I mean, giving yourself enough time to sort of handle everything you need, equipment-wise, handle everything mentally, be sure you're playing enough holes prior and making sure, for me personally, making sure I'm in a good head space. So I really play really well when I'm mentally in a good space and that's kind of what we try to do.