'We do what we always do’: Xander Schauffele, Patrick Cantlay make inevitable move at Zurich Classic

If it’s the Zurich Classic of New Orleans then, eventually, Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele are going to be part of the conversation.

The duo seems to always make an inevitable move at TPC Louisiana, and this year it happened on Friday.

Schauffele and Cantlay, the lone pair in the field both ranked inside the top 10 in the Official World Golf Ranking entering the week, fired a 5-under 67 in the second round – the low round of the day in Foursomes.

The duo was 6-under on their round through 17 holes before finishing with a bogey on their final hole of the day. They are just one shot back of the lead held by a quartet of squads including Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry.

“We did exactly what we needed to put ourselves in position,” said Cantlay. “We’re at halftime now, one back, and I like our spot heading into the weekend.”

The pair, who won this event in 2022 and have been a staple of Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup teams over the last few years, have been a force at the Zurich Classic. They finished tied for fourth in their debut as a pair before winning in 2022. Last year they finished tied for 11th.

Cantlay and Schauffele co-hold the Foursomes scoring record at this event (63 last year) and the Four-Ball record (59 in 2022).

Whatever they’re doing just keeps working.

“We prepare individually, in terms of the way we play,” Schauffele said. “We do some team reads and things like that on the putting green, but for the most part, most of the time we know exactly where we need to leave ourselves even if we’re out of position so that always helps.”

Both Schauffele and Cantlay are looking for their first TOUR title since 2022. Schauffele won three times that year, while Cantlay won twice.

It’s been an incredibly steady 2024 campaign for Schauffele so far with seven top-10s in 10 starts, including a tie for second at THE PLAYERS. Cantlay hasn’t had the same run of results as his partner so far in 2024, but he comes to TPC Louisiana after a tie for third at the RBC Heritage last week.

The leaderboard is as bunched as ever heading into the weekend, with four duos tied for the lead at 13-under and Cantlay and Schauffele part of a six-way tie for fifth just a shot back.

The teams will once again play Four-ball for Saturday’s third round, and it should come as no surprise that Cantlay and Schauffele are eager for a solid moving day given how they’ve played through 36 holes at the Zurich Classic.

“We do what we always do,” Schauffele said.