In the big Sunday ‘free for all’, Xander Schauffele has an edge over most

Newton Square, Pa. — Xander Schauffele remembers the feeling. It was like trying to unlock a door in the dark. Schauffele spent years hovering at the top of the charts. Always there, but never the last man standing. Sometimes he was beaten, but he was often made mistakes.

“Early on, I felt like there were times when 9 or 12 holes went by, and I’m like holy smokes, I’m like five over par, like the whole thing is going on,” Schauffele said Saturday at the PGA Championship in Aronimink. “I would call them growing pains. Everybody goes through them. Everybody deals with it.”

then came the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhallawhen Schauffele finally kicked in the door to become a major champion. Two months later, he won the Open. One win unlocks another.

Since then, Schauffele has felt different in the majors. “It would be crazy not to,” he says. An injury led to a slump in 2025, but he arrived at the 2026 PGA at Aronimink feeling close to where he was when he outlasted everyone at Valhalla and left the field on Sunday at Royal Troon.

He jumped out of the gates in Philadelphia with a first-round two-under 68. But he followed that up with a 73 in easier conditions on Friday to find himself five off the lead entering the weekend. Schauffele finished with a birdie and then went straight to the range for a late lesson with his coach, Chris Como. The results were clear on Saturday as Schauffele took advantage of a more accessible Aronimink, shooting four under to move three clear of Alex Smalley’s 54-hole lead. Schauffele is one of 10 players with a three-over lead; 30 players are within five.

of combination of wind, sloping greens and devilish pins has led to a packed leaderboard that promises high drama on Sunday.

“I called it an absolute free-for-all, you know what I mean?” Schauffele said Saturday night. “The way the course plays, I mean, somebody early goes and shoots something six, seven under, they just might have a chance to win it all, depending on how windy it’s going to be out there. So with that in mind, try to really stay in my lane with (caddie Austin Kaiser) and control what we can control.”

There are a number of great champions at the top of the board. Jon Rahm it’s two back. Rory McIlroy AND Patrick Reed are equal to Schauffele. Justin Rose is four back, along with Hideki Matsuyama and Cameron Smith. Scottie Scheffler is five back. But it’s also a leaderboard full of players who have never experienced a big Sunday pot. Smalley’s best major finish is a T23 at the 2023 PGA. Nick Taylor, Matti Schmid and Aaron Rai, who are all tied for second with Rahm, have a combined zero top 10s in the majors.

Schauffele will enter Sunday with an advantage over most of his followers – Rahm, McIlroy, Rose and Reed notwithstanding. In golf, you don’t know what you don’t know. But once you know ITit can make all the difference.

“I have some experience to fall back on. That’s really what it is,” Schauffele said. “If you’re not competing, you know, good luck building on any experience. You’re just trying to stay positive and give yourself a chance.”

Asked about his major growing pains, the handful of US Opens and Masters losses that piled up, Schauffele talked about how quickly things can move when the pressure is on and how hard it is to get back on track when you start to slip. What those wounds — and eventual big wins — taught him is how to stay grounded when everything around him is spinning.

“I think if you can control your ball and hit some shots, it definitely gives you that confidence, but no matter how good golf you’re playing, you’re going to see somebody slip up at certain times,” Schauffele said. “The best always seem to pull themselves together in the most difficult moments.”

Sunday in Aronimink it will be anyone’s game. The test will require correct answers. The big championship usually happens. Schauffele will start the round at the back, but with an advantage over a large part of the leaderboard, who will experience real pressure for the first time.

He is comfortable at the moment. In a chaotic Sunday that will be decided on the sidelines, that could be enough for Schauffele to pass the test.

“Come tomorrow, there’s going to be 25, 30 guys within striking distance with 9 to 10 holes to play,” Schauffele said. “It will be great to watch as a fan, but as a player, it’s very stressful and you have to shut down. So if I can draw on any experience I have, I will.”