KAPALUA, Hawaii — A nagging back injury in the Bahamas has become more of a mystery for Xander Schauffele, who pulled out of the Sentry Tournament Championship on Friday and plans to get an MRI to see what’s wrong.
Schuffele, the No. 6 player in the world and a three-time winner on the PGA Tour last year, felt unable to swing at full speed and stopped on the par-5 ninth hole.
Schaufele had no problems on the training side after the Hero World Challenge, which ended on December 4th and reached Kapalua. But he felt ill again on Monday, withdrew from the pro-am on Wednesday and struggled in the opening round.
“It looks like a very similar deal to the Bahamas,” Schaufel said. “I’m starting to feel better every day in the Bahamas… It’s not getting any better. I actually feel better when I swing.”
1 over for the round as Schaufele escapes. He says he’s swinging tee shots, chipping irons and his head is in a “terrible place.”
In the year They won the Champions League in 2019 and lost in the playoffs the following year. Even more frustrating for Schauffele was his inability to recognize what was happening.
The San Diego native has four more races on his West Coast schedule, starting with the American Express in La Quinta, Calif., in two weeks.
As the caddy told him, “We’ve got a lot of tournaments coming up. Are you going to look back and be proud that you hurt yourself more? Or are we going to be good at it?”
Schuffele said he regretted not having an MRI when he returned home to Las Vegas after the Hero World Challenge. But then, by the time he left he felt better and stronger and didn’t feel the need.
“I’m back to doing everything at my regular job,” he said. “That was immature of me. I’m 29. I have to take care of my health.”
Schauffele isn’t going home completely empty-handed. He earns $200,000 from a $15 million purse for a last-place finish. He will also earn $1.25 million, which is 25% of the $5 million for finishing No. 7 in the Player Impact Program.
Players will earn 25% of their bonus money this week and the rest when they fulfill their other obligations related to the PIP program.
