Xander Schauffele still vying to supplant Scottie Scheffler for No. 1

KAPALUA – Xander Schauffele has not forgotten or given up on one of his biggest career goals, though he knows how difficult the climb will be.

The American has said in the past that he wants to earn the No. 1 spot in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) some day, but even with top-ranked Scottie Scheffler out of the field at the Jan 2-5 The Sentry, it is not as simple as Schauffele winning a few more tournaments.

The 2025 season begins with Scheffler leading No. 2 Schauffele by 6.3727 average points in the OWGR, which utilises a two-year rolling period, emphasises players’ most recent performances and factors in tournaments’ strength of field.

When speaking with reporters on Dec 31 ahead of The Sentry in Kapalua, Hawaii, Schauffele nodded to the dominant year Scheffler had to build such a massive lead in the OWGR.

He agreed that he feels “under the radar” – despite a year in which he won his first two Major championships at the PGA Championship and the British Open.

“Yeah, just kind of cruising around right where I want to be,” Schauffele said.

“It’s a wild time. Winning two Majors and being further away, or closer to the 30th-ranked player than the first is – hat’s off to Scottie. He’s a beast.”

It is not exactly accurate to say Schauffele is closer to No. 30 in the rankings (American Maverick McNealy) to No. 1, but the margin is similar to the gap between him and world No. 22 Aaron Rai of England.

“He just kept winning,” Schauffele added of Scheffler. “Even in sort of his downtime, he won another event, which pushed him even further away. So it’s one of my goals that will just have to stay on the calendar for a few more years.”

Schauffele was referencing the 28-year-old’s victory at the Hero World Challenge in early December, which is not an official PGA Tour event but still counted for ranking points.

It capped a historic year for his rival and compatriot, who also won the Masters, the Players Championship and the Olympic gold medal. He claimed seven victories on the PGA Tour alone.

But Scheffler is not in Hawaii as he recovers from surgery on his right hand. He was injured by broken glass while preparing Christmas dinner and had shards of glass embedded in his palm.

“It’s a huge bummer,” Schauffele said. “I hope he’s OK.

“I heard he was going to be back for American Express (the tournament in the California desert from Jan 16-19), then you hear he has surgery.

“I didn’t feel, like, too comfortable texting him. It’s weird, because we’re competitors, but at the same time, he’s such a nice guy, him and (wife Meredith).”

For now, he is focused on his own game.

Saying that he tries to focus on the process rather than the results, Schauffele admitted and reiterated that it will “take some time and some patience” to track down the No. 1 ranking.

He was asked what area of his game he wants to improve to catch up to Scheffler.

“Around the greens, short game, that’s an area that’s not bad, it’s not nothing special that I do, just good enough,” the 31-year-old said. “Those are some spots where I could improve, for sure.”

As for this week’s limited-field event, with no Scheffler or Northern Ireland’s four-time Major champion Rory McIlroy, Schauffele is the odds-on favorite to win the season opener.

Meanwhile, in what appears to be a one-time gig, Jordan Spieth’s caddie Michael Greller will pick up the bag for Max Homa this weekend.

Three-time Major champion Spieth did not qualify for The Sentry and has not announced when he will make his season debut after undergoing left wrist surgery in August. The 31-year-old had zero wins on tour in 2024 and did not place in the top 50 of the FedExCup points list.

Homa’s regular caddie, Joe Greiner, is expected to be back on the bag for The American Express. REUTERS