At the halfway point of The Players Championship, Xander Schauffele was in prime position to win for the first time at TPC Sawgrass.

With 10 PGA Tour victories to his name, including two major championships, Schauffele is a proven winner.

The 32-year-old is one of the best golfers on the planet over the past five years or so, but he really struggled in 2025.

However, Schauffele has returned to form in 2026 and he looked just like his old self during the first two rounds of The Players Championship.

The two-time major winner posted rounds of 69 and 65 to head into the weekend at TPC Sawgrass in second place, two shots adrift of the leader, Ludvig Aberg.

Sadly for Schauffele, though, he faltered on Saturday, and shot a round of two-over-par 74. That round proved costly in the end as he lost out to the eventual winner, Cam Young, by two shots.

Xander Schauffele achieves unwanted record at The Players

Schauffele has made some subtle swing changes over the past 12 months or so and those changes are now starting to come to fruition.

He has two top-5 finishes to his name so far this season and his third-place finish at The Players was a sign that he’s nearly back to his best.

However, he will be bitterly disappointed that he didn’t win at TPC Sawgrass last week.Schauffele has really struggled to get over the line at The Players Championship, despite having a superb record at Sawgrass.

In nine appearances at The Players, the 32-year-old from San Diego, California, has finished second twice and third once.

As a result, he now has the joint most top-three finishes at The Players without a win, alongside Jim Furyk, Bernhard Langer and Jeff Maggert, according to highly reputable stats guru, Justin Ray.

Schauffele’s game is clearly a great fit for TPC Sawgrass, but he has always come up just short in Ponte Vedra Beach.

Who knows, maybe next year will be his time. One thing’s for sure, he will have plenty more chances to win The Players, given his undeniable quality.

Xander Schauffele comments on the state of his game after The Players

After his final round, Schauffele was asked if he was happy with his performance at TPC Sawgrass.

“Yeah, for sure,“ the American replied.

“I just kept telling — it would have been a shame to have two events in a row where I shoot over par on the weekend. Obviously last week played really hard, and this weekend when you’re in those later groups, it’s playing a little bit harder.

“It’s a little crispier. The wind is up. But you kind of know what you need to do to earn it around this property, and just happy to have stuck in it.

“Yeah, a lot of good things. I’d say my approach was really good through the first couple rounds. I’d say it was pretty solid this week.

“Didn’t miss a fairway. Would like to clean the putter up just a little bit. I feel like I’m missing some of those inside five- to ten- foot range. Other than that, I’ve got time.“