If you were putting odds on who would be the next player to win the career Grand Slam at the start of the year, Xander Schauffele would’ve been way down the list – but right now he’s arguably the favourite.
The 30-year-old Californian was right there with the likes of Patrick Cantlay and Viktor Hovland in terms of possible first-time Major winners at the start of 2024, sure, but still his Grand Slam odds would’ve been astronomical.
But for a few reasons he’s the man to have your money on right now – not least because he’s delivered two different Majors so quickly he’s already made it halfway there.
That puts him in the same boat as Brooks Koepka, who may have five Major titles but only in two different Majors, while Scottie Scheffler can match Schauffele’s two Major titles but both of his Green Jackets mean he’s still three wins away.
Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth are just one win away, yet Schauffele’s quick-fire one-two punch has given him a great chance of becoming the sixth player ever to win a modern-day career Grand Slam in golf.
And here’s why…
Strike while the iron is hot
Schauffele finished in the top eight of every Major this year and won twice for the best season since Jordan Spieth’s 2015 when he won The Masters and US Open, and his story is a familiar one.
Brooks Koepka looked like winning every Major when he claimed four titles in eight appearances, while Dustin Johnson won twice in 16 appearances with six other top 10s and multiple chances.
Rory McIlroy got four wins in four years but he’s slightly different as a perennial challenger over a winless decade, but the moral of the story is that when players get hot in Majors they need to cash in while they can.
These things go in cycles unless you’re a very special talent, and even Scottie Scheffler, who has been head and shoulders the best player on the planet, still only has two Majors on his CV.
Right now, Schauffele has the game, the form, and more importantly the confidence of knowing he can get over the line, which is often the difference down the stretch in Majors.
And with them all coming relatively quickly a month apart, a player hitting Major form can challenge in them all as they come thick and fast – so a good start at Augusta next April could lead to another Schauffele summer.
Schauffele’s incredible US…
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