Xander Schauffele charged up the leaderboard at the 2026 U.S. Open. He opened with 67, and then he followed it with an even-par second round. This puts him in strong contention for the weekend at Shinnecock Hills. But this journey hasn’t been an easy one. After he finished his second round, he reflected on the injury setback that followed the best season of his career.

“It was a first for me. It made me appreciate the game, for sure, and sort of what it does for me mentally and how happy it makes me. Obviously, it pisses me off often, but at the same time, I really missed being out, being out on tour. I missed practicing,” Xander Schauffele told the media. “I have a kid now, so I have easier distractions and more tasks to do, but at this time, it was just myself, my dogs, and my wife. She was sick of me being at home too long. I definitely missed playing golf and appreciated being able to play for such a long time.”

Despite loving golf so much, Schauffele took an intentional break during the 2025 offseason to spend more time with his wife and son, Viktor. While that break was intentional, he had also been sidelined from golf for 6-7 weeks at the start of the 2025 campaign.

After being winless in 2023, the 10-time PGA Tour winner won the PGA Championship and the Open Championship in 2024. But during the offseason, he suffered an acute intercostal micro tear in a rib in 2024, sidelining him from competition. He played Sentry but then missed everything until the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

When he finally made a comeback, he was thrilled his body held up. He finished 40th, but his body being able to play made him very happy. But while the scans came back clean within a few weeks, pain lingered for around a year.

“Yeah, probably a year. I came back after six or seven weeks, but there were times where I was, like, ah, is it phantom pain? Whatever it is, ribs are a weird spot. Just tried to be as positive as possible and rely on my team to make me healthy,” he also said.

At least Xander Schauffele now feels pain-free, and that’s a cause to celebrate for him. Many professionals continue to feel the pain of their injury even after years. Consider Jason Day.

He had to withdraw from the US Open 2026 after playing 10 holes because of a lingering back injury. He has suffered from that since he was just 16 years old and still faces the pain and consequences from time to time.

Besides physical pain, injuries can also affect a professional’s mentality. Collin Morikawa, for example, suffered from a back injury this year, which led to his withdrawal from the Players Championship 2026. While he is already back in action and performing well, he is still in shock. Morikawa has time and again openly admitted that the injury caused him trauma.

But Xander Schauffele has thankfully recovered completely from the injury he faced in 2024. And as always, he is playing well at the US Open.

Xander Schauffele betting odds for the US Open 2026

With a total score of 3 under 137, the 32-year-old is in a solid position entering the weekend, and this is not the first time he has come close to winning. Since 2017, Schauffele has always posted a top-15 finish in the US Open. Of those nine appearances, he was tied for 3rd in 2019. He has also posted a solo and a tied-for-5th finish in 2020 and 2017. That’s probably why his odds of winning are +1850.

The top favorite to win the event is Scottie Scheffler (+460 to +600), who is chasing a career Grand Slam on his 30th birthday. Then there’s Rory McIlroy with betting odds ranging from +950 to +1200.

Given his strong position on the leaderboard and his U.S. Open record, oddsmakers view Schauffele as a strong contender at Shinnecock Hills. Now that he is free from pain, he will aim to convert those close finishes into a win this year.