Only four times in Major history have golfers carded 62. Half of them are by one man, Xander Schauffele. The seven-time PGA Tour winner’s latest feat of 9-under-62 at Valhalla came courtesy of nine birdies—four in the front and five in the back. That’s also a course record. If anything, it speaks of his prowess and capability on the grand stage. But seen through the prism of his zero major victories, it’s also a bewildering statistic to look at. The 30-year-old has been here before. On multiple occasions,.

Most recently at Quail Hollow. The 54-hole leader succumbed to Rory McIlroy’s onslaught in the final round, losing his moving-day lead to settle for a runner-up, his second of the season. Quail Hollow was a great tune-up for the PGA Championship, considering the similarities between the two courses and the strategy players adopt. From Max Homa to Justin Thomas, everyone has reiterated that Valhalla favors golfers who are far from the tee.

From Tiger Woods to Max Homa and Justin Thomas, everyone has reiterated that Valhalla favors golfers who are far from the tee. “You need to drive the ball well and hit your mid-to-long irons really good” Homa said at the pre-tournament press conference. Hometown hero Thomas agreed, simplifying the strategy to hitting fairways and then letting the 5-iron or an 8-iron do the work. It was very similar to how it was last week at Quail Hollow. Valhalla favors long and precise drivers.

None more than Rory McIlroy or Brooks Koepka. McIlroy won here ten years ago. And, despite his driver behaving rather strangely in the first round, the Ulsterman is just four shots behind Schauffele. Four shots is a slippery cushion after the first round, and the four-time Major winner showed that to Schauffele last week. Let’s also not forget that Rory McIlroy chased down Phil Mickelson from behind ten years ago on the very same course.

Four shots are a slippery cushion after the first round, and McIlroy showed that to Schauffele last week. Let’s also not forget that Rory McIlroy chased down Phil Mickelson from behind ten years ago on the very same course. The four-time Major winner is second in SG around the green with a two-shot advantage over the field. But a resurgent Rory McIlroy is not the only threat to Schaufflele’s major hopes. 

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Xander Schauffele needs to erase history

The seven-time PGA Tour winner has finished no worse than T18 in majors since the 2022 PGA Championship. Schauffele has 21 top-10s since his last victory on the PGA Tour, including four runner-ups. The 30-year-old has come close; his victory looked secured a couple of times, most recently in Wells Fargo and before that in THE PLAYERS. 

And when you have a Brooks Koepka and a Scottie Scheffler on the field, no lead looks secure. Koepka, a three-time PGA Championship winner, stepped on the gas at the right moment in LIV. Scheffler, despite a month’s absence, looks supremely confident in his game. He was so confident that the current world no. 1 was even arguing with Wyndham Clark about his chances of beating an NBA pro in 1 vs. 1 (he believes he can).

So, Xander Schauffele finds himself in a strange position. He will rest his head on the pillow, perhaps with the overnight lead still, but he won’t rest easy. Not when a Brooks Koepka is in the field or a Scottie Scheffler is yet to arrive. More so, not when you have a bad history of slipping up on leads at grand stages.