Xander Schauffele speaks to the media forward of the 2024 FedEx St. Jude Championship.
James Gilbert/PGA TOUR through Getty Images
The Olympic Games appeared to scramble the brains of professional golfers concerned within the thrilling competitors at Le Golf National. Used to enjoying for cash and themselves, golf’s finest had been thrown into the place of enjoying for his or her international locations and no cash in any respect (not less than a few of them). The expertise drew out some sudden reactions and feelings from the PGA Tour’s finest. Just ask Xander Schauffele.
Schauffele, who captured his second of two 2024 majors simply earlier than the Olympics, was looking for his second-straight Olympic gold medal till a poor end dropped him out of medal rivalry totally. He might solely watch as his probabilities light away and Scottie Scheffler made his golden cost within the closing spherical.
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Speaking to reporters on Tuesday forward of the FedEx St. Jude Championship, Schauffele made it clear that regardless of all his success this season, his Sunday swoon at Le Golf National two weeks in the past nonetheless bothered him.
“I take pride in finishing strong, and to do that was — I was pretty bummed out. I went from thinking I could have a good look at gold to maybe silver, then to bronze, and then to, wow, I’m just spectating now,” Schauffele defined. “That’s sort of what happened the last seven, eight holes of that tournament. So that was a bit of a bummer, especially with how the fans were out there.”
Shortly after Scheffler had polished off his gold-medal victory, a self-described “butt-hurt” Schauffele determined to stick round for the medal ceremony. Scheffler, gold medal round his neck, notably received emotional when the U.S. National Anthem performed over the loud audio system.
He wasn’t the one one. On Tuesday, Schauffele revealed that on the identical time he was fuming over his unhealthy end, as soon as the American flag was raised in Scheffler’s honor he all of a sudden felt an emotional swing within the different route, filling up with delight and happiness for the World No. 1 who, regardless of having simply crushed Schauffele, was in the end on the identical crew as him in Paris.
“It’s weird; I’m not going to lie. It’s the weirdest feeling. I was watching from the sort of family section, the podium, and when Scottie was up there and our flag was raised and he started crying up there, I was butt-hurt about my own round, and then I was sitting there like, yeah, this is pretty cool,” Schauffele tried to clarify.
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He continued, “I’d like to think I’m not — I can be rational most times, but I felt so emotional in that state to where I was butt-hurt about how I played and then sorta proud and happy that Scottie won it. It’s such a — it’s hard to explain, the swing of it. Then out here this week playing with him these next two days and we’re all just trying to beat our heads in. It’s a funny feeling.”
When requested if the delight he felt was influenced by his personal gold-medal victory on the Tokyo Olympics, Schauffele recognized a special supply.
“I’m not sure. I think it’s just being American. You see your flag being raised and your National Anthem played, and you’re sitting there sort of humming it in your head, and you get that sort of feeling that we don’t really get too often anymore.”
For now, Schauffele is again to enjoying for himself. He begins the FedEx Cup Playoffs in second place behind Scheffler, with a $25 million bonus on the road.
But shortly thereafter, on the finish of September, Schauffele will placed on some new pink, white and blue gear because the U.S. crew takes on the International crew on the 2024 Presidents Cup in Canada.
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