Xander Schauffele: I celebrated my Open win by drinking tequila out of the Claret Jug!

Xander Schauffele with The Claret Jug after his win at Royal Troon in 2024

Ahead of his title defence at Portrush, the reigning Champion Golfer Xander Schauffele reveals all about his preparations, taking on home favorite Rory McIlroy, and why he would happily embrace windy and rainy conditions in Ireland.

It hasn’t all been plain sailing for Xander Schauffele since winning the Open Championship. He missed two months of the season because of injury, lost in the final of TGL, and now finds himself in a battle to make the final stage of the FedEx Cup Playoffs after recording just two top 10s in 12 starts this season.

He admitted ahead of the Scottish Open that he has been humbled by his indifferent run of form, which he later described this season as the “worst year of my career”.

“I don’t think I’ve given myself a lot of reasons to believe that I’m playing OK,” he said. “It’s been a pretty bad year to be completely honest. Any expectation I had of whatever I thought I was capable of doing, you know, from a feel standpoint last year, has been sort of reset and I am in full chase mode, like a kid.

“If I can just get out of my own way, that would be the thing that would make me happiest right now more than even winning a tournament.”

A tie for 8th alongside Scottie Scheffler and Ludvig Aberg at the Renaissance Club represents a good starting point, and should give him some much-needed confidence ahead of his title defence at Royal Portrush this week. You sense he probably needs it.

Ahead of his visit to the UK, we spoke to the World No.3 over video call where he reflected on the journey he’s been on since his breakthrough Open victory in 2024 and why he’s perfectly content flying under the radar while Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry soak up all the attention.

How much are you looking forward to coming back and defending your title?

I’ve never defended successfully any tournament that I’ve won in the past, so I’m very much looking forward to it. If I could do it at a major, especially The Open, it would be really incredible.

It’s always interesting to know what the defending champion has done with the Claret Jug. Am I right in thinking your dad has had it the whole time?

Yeah, I don’t drink too much. My dad definitely consumes a lot more wine than I do. He’s got some good friends to enjoy it with, as well.

Have you drunk anything out of it?

I have, yeah. I hate to say it, but I’ve had wine, of course, and then I’ve had tequila out of it as well.

What do you remember about the last time you played Portrush?

I think a lot of it will come back to me once I’m on site. I remember there was a par-4 that was a downhill dog-leg right. I can’t remember which hole it was exactly, but I remember one of the days we were able to hit driver or even 3-wood pretty much on to the green or through the green. Another time, it was into the wind and my goodness, it went from like a super-easy birdie hole, even an eagle opportunity, to a driver, mid to long iron. That hole stuck out to me, and then a couple of the finishing holes are really tough as well.

What does good preparation for The Open look like for a guy like you coming over from America?

Good preparation would be getting on the correct time zone. I think playing in the Scottish Open is a must for someone like me. Just getting enough good nights of sleep, getting on the time zone, learning what it’s like to actually play in wind again.

When we play in, like, 12 to 15 miles an hour [in the US], we’re kind of like, “Oh, my gosh, it’s so windy.” And then you hit a 9-iron 85 yards when you’re overseas, and you’re like, “Alright, this is some real wind.” Just getting the feel of bringing the ball down and learning how the ball is going to fly again, into the wind and downwind, is such an important thing.

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The defending champion usually has the spotlight on them, but in this case, Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry are the local heroes. Could that work in your favor?

Yeah, that’s a really good point. One of their own just won the Grand Slam, so everyone wants to get a piece of him. That’s no different for the media, right? If I can use it to my advantage to cruise along and fly under the radar, that’s exactly what I’ll do.

There’s a school of thought that not having a Green Jacket was holding Rory back. Do you think he’s going to be able to become a serial major winner again?

I don’t see why he wouldn’t be. He has all the tools. I’ve played against him when he’s done it, and it’s not fun for me. Would I be surprised if he started rattling some off? No. Am I going to be there to try and stop him? Absolutely.

You’re halfway towards a career Grand Slam yourself. Is that a genuine target going forward?

It’s something that’s been written down a long time ago and something I think every golfer should try
and achieve. There’s a reason there’s only been six of them to ever do it, but until last year, it felt like it was almost impossible [for me to achieve]. But after a year like last year, it definitely lets a young pro like myself dream a little bit more again. It’s something I definitely look forward to challenging myself to accomplish in my career. It’ll be a lot of fun to try and do.

At Troon, conditions were pretty tough over the weekend. Would you relish another tough test like that July?

I’m from San Diego, where it blows a blistering three miles an hour. When I think of playing overseas, when I think of Open Championship golf, I don’t think of it being sunny. I think of people wearing beanies, hunkering down, trying everything they can with their caddie to overcome that war you’re in with the golf course. I think it’s such a validating and rewarding feeling to do it. I’ve got no problem if it’s bad weather.

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