Xander Schauffele Makes Bold Claim Before U.S. Open

Xander Schauffele Makes Bold Claim Before U.S. Open originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

The 125th U.S. Open is set to unfold in the coming days at Oakmont Country Club just outside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 

This par-70 layout — famous for its steeply sloping greens, punishing rough and 175 bunkers (including the notorious “Church Pew”) — is widely regarded as one of the most difficult golf courses and routinely challenges the world’s best. 

A field of 156 competitors will tackle Oakmont’s rugged contours, including world No. 3 Xander Schauffele. 

On Monday, Schauffele offered a brief assessment of the upcoming event in a post shared by Golf.com on X, stating, “If you’re a premier ball striker, you’ll be licking your chops.”

Despite being a perennial contender on major stages, Schauffele has yet to capture his first title of the 2025 PGA Tour.

Through his first nine starts, he’s posted just two top-10 finishes, sitting 59th in the FedExCup Standings.

At the PGA Championship in mid-May, he carded rounds of 72-71-72-68 to finish tied for 28th, and at last week’s Memorial Tournament, he finished 25th.

Even with these recent struggles, Schauffele’s resume remains among the most impressive in the game.

The San Diego native turned pro in 2015 and has since amassed nine PGA Tour victories, including two major championships in 2024, winning both the PGA Championship (-21) and The Open Championship (-9).

Schauffele also won a gold medal for Team USA at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, captured the Tour Championship in 2017 and has won several other high-profile events such as the WGC-HSBC Champions, the Sentry Tournament of Champions and the Travelers Championship. 

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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 9, 2025, where it first appeared.

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