Xander Schauffele has set aside a gut-wrenching runner-up Players Championship finish ahead of his final tuneup for next month’s Masters as he fights to defend Olympic gold in Paris.
The 30-year-old American faded in Sunday’s final round and lost by a stroke to top-ranked Scottie Scheffler at the Players, but has bounced back for today’s start of the PGA Tour Valspar Championship at Innisbrook in Palm Harbor, Florida.
“I’m always pretty tough on myself but you kind of put it to rest to a certain extent,” Schauffele said, calling the loss a “gut punch.”
“I played some really good golf. I was just there, again, in a good spot to win a golf tournament and didn’t get it done.
“I wouldn’t say I was too hard on myself. I accepted it. Was overall pretty pleased with how I was able to play. Just another close call under my belt for now.”
Fifth-ranked Schauffele hasn’t won since the 2022 Scottish Open, but since then has five top-10 efforts this year, 11 top-10s last season with two runner-up finishes and two top-10s in the 2022 PGA playoffs.
“I feel like the best is in front of me,” Schauffele said. “And the only way it’s not going to be in front of me is if I let all these things get to my head and not play my game.”
That means shrugging off missed putts and taking a run at the Valspar crown before taking two weeks off and then trying to capture his first major title at Augusta National.
“Feeling better than I did a couple days ago. Just excited to try and win again,” Schauffele said.
Schauffele has 11 top-10 finishes in majors without a victory, but matched his best major finish by sharing second at the 2019 Masters. He wants the chance to defend his Tokyo Olympic title at Paris by staying in the top four among US players in the world rankings, a group that now includes Scheffler, Schauffele, 2023 US Open champion Wyndham Clark and seventh-ranked Patrick Cantlay.
But seven compatriots are in the top 20 to keep the pressure on.
“The world rankings is a bit of a free for all right now for the American side,” Schauffele said. “I’m in right now and I intend on playing at a very high level and qualifying for Paris and giving myself a run at it again.”

Moore seeks Valspar repeat after landing first win on tour
As is the case with many golfers, one PGA Tour victory changed Taylor Moore’s career trajectory.
For Moore, that breakthrough came at the 2023 Valspar Championship, a title he’ll seek to defend this week in Tampa, Fla.
Moore was 29 years old and had played his way through PGA Tour Canada and the Korn Ferry Tour to reach the big time. “It just gave me some confidence, knowing that I knew I could compete out here and be in contention on Sunday, but until you actually hoist that trophy and get it done, I guess you never really know,” Moore said on Wednesday.
“So it gave me that affirmation that I could do it out here on Sundays on the back nine when I am in contention.”
It gave him much more than that. Moore got into the majors, making the cut at the Masters and the PGA Championship. He picked up three more top-five finishes, accruing the FedEx Cup points necessary to reach the Tour Championship.
“I think for me it was (that) I knew I was in the majors the rest of the year basically, but I knew I needed to finish well to get into everything this year,” Moore said.
“Obviously with how our schedule is now, too, getting into those signature events and elevated stuff was definitely a priority. Obviously a win takes care of a lot of that.
“Yeah, getting to (the Tour Championship) for the first time as well as setting up my schedule for this year was massive.
“But I think once the win kind of wore off after that stretch you were talking about, I just wanted to keep getting better each and every week, and that’s what me and my team talk about every week is - how can I keep getting better and how can I evaluate where I’m at and put one foot in front of the other and just take it week by week.”
“Getting my first tour win here was awesome, and getting my second here would be even better.”