Xander Schauffele believes the swing changes he’s made over the last six months have helped him take the next step and become a Major champion.
The American lifted the Wanamaker Trophy on Sunday after a highly-impressive victory at Valhalla, beating Bryson DeChambeau by a shot.
Not only did the 30-year-old lead wire-to-wire, opening with a record-breaking 62, but he closed with a 65 to set a new Major Championship scoring record at 21-under 263.
It was Schauffele’s first victory in near two years with his last triumph coming at the Genesis Scottish Open, and he credited this latest win to the recent work he’s done with his coach Chris Como.
“This is probably the most comfortable I’ve felt with some of the changes that Chris was able to implement,” said Schauffele, who’s been working with Como since the end of last year.
“They weren’t big changes, just getting the club a little bit more on plane up top was key. Shoulders maybe a little bit steeper. I tend to go a little bit flat and a little laid off.
“I felt like last week, there was some intimidating tee shots there. I was able to hit some good drives. I pulled on that this week, knowing that the fairways are soft, so if you hit a good drive, it’s going to pretty much end up where it goes.
“It’s been amazing working with Chris. He’s been awesome, and definitely a contributing factor to me holding this thing today. He’s helped me a ton.
“He’s given me so much confidence in my ball-striking ability, unlocking a few pieces to it. I did hit some really nice shots coming down the stretch. Just some balls ended up in some weird places, but it’s all good now.”
With the victory, Schauffele moved abovve Rory McIlroy in the Official World Golf Rankings and is now No. 2 behind Scottie Scheffler.
