Xander Schauffele feeling 'super happy,' fully healthy after first start back from rib injury at Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard

ORLANDO, Fla. – It’ll only be a win for so long, but for this week, it was all that mattered.

Xander Schauffele shot 3-under 69 in the final round at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard, playing by himself as the first man out Sunday morning. That he ended 4-over for the tournament was of little importance. In his first start back from a rib injury that kept him sidelined since The Sentry, how Schauffele’s body held up was his only marker of success or failure. By that measure, he was thrilled.

“That was the biggest thing. That’s probably the biggest win of the week,” Schauffele said. “Not being able to play enough golf coming in here, was rolling the dice a little bit. All scans were clean, but super happy with how I feel. Definitely, with the added golf didn’t feel any strain or any worse, so that’s a big bonus.”

Making it through the week was hardly a given when Schauffele committed to play Bay Hill Club & Lodge late last week. He played just 27 holes of golf in preparation, nine of which came on a par-3 course with Justin Thomas. He hadn’t played two days in a row, let alone four in a competitive environment at one of the PGA TOUR’s toughest setups.

Doctors had encouraged a cautious approach, prioritizing Schauffele’s long-term health over a quick return. It ate at Schauffele to miss the West Coast Swing, which included two stops at his hometown Torrey Pines, but he swallowed the disappointment with the hopes that when he returned, it came with no setbacks.

Each day this week, Schauffele felt no issues with his body even if his game was rusty. It will take more than one week to declare that Schauffele’s injury concerns are behind him, but through one week, their plan has worked.

Schauffele said he has no reservations as he heads two hours north to TPC Sawgrass for THE PLAYERS Championship, only optimism. The rust was evident at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, particularly in his short game, as is often the case for players after a long time off. Bay Hill “definitely wrecked me on that front,” Schauffele said.

But it improved as the week went along. Schauffele needed only 25 putts in his final round and had his best scrambling of the week, saving six of eight attempts. He also allowed himself some grace, saying there was nowhere at home to replicate the lies or the difficulty he faced at Arnie’s place.

“Austin (Schauffele’s caddie) was telling me this is probably the hardest place you can come back to out of any tournament, all year round, so happy to make the cut and get four rounds of golfing and feel good,” Schauffele said.

Schauffele will assess his body mid-week at THE PLAYERS before setting his schedule any further. He said he hopes to play one of the Valspar Championship (which would be three straight weeks on TOUR) or the Valero Texas Open to get extra prep for the Masters in April. It will depend all on how his body is feeling.

He expects the moral victories won’t last much longer.

“I'm trying to convince myself to be in a good spot mentally regardless,” Schauffele said. “I can't sit all year long and feel sorry for myself like, oh, you know, I'm just rusty, I haven't played. That stuff doesn't matter in any sport, so it is what it is, and I'm gonna have to sort of pick up the pace.”