Xander Schauffele has heaped praise upon Michael Thorbjornsen after finishing second to the youngster at the Rocket Classic on Sunday.
Thorbjornsen finally has his first PGA Tour victory. The 24-year-old has long been considered one of the most exciting talents on tour, but he had been unable to get across the line and win.
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That changed on Sunday at Detroit Golf Club, with Thorbjornsen posting a 63 in the final round to finish two shots ahead of Schauffele.
Xander Schauffele reacts to finishing second to Michael Thorbjornsen at the Rocket Classic
The week felt like a step in the right direction for Schauffele. It marked his first top 10 since the PGA Championship in May. His previous top five came at the Valspar Championship two months earlier.
It could have been even better for the two-time major champion. Schauffele put himself out in front around the turn after playing the first nine holes on Sunday in four under par.
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A bogey on the 13th took the wind out of his sails. And by the time he made a birdie on the 72nd hole, it was confirmed that he was not going to be able to catch Thorbjornsen.
Photo by Raj Mehta/Getty Images
Despite coming so close, Schauffele suggested that he was pleased with his performance in Michigan.
“Yeah, I feel good. You know, I fell short, but I played well. Mikey just played, he played incredible. If you look at his stretch for the last 12 holes, he played incredible golf. It looks like it’s going to be enough,” he said.
“I’m not sure what’s happening here on 17 with Davis and Rasmus, but yeah, it was obviously nice to be in a group where everyone’s playing well and kind of felt like that the whole week.”
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What Xander Schauffele hoped to find within his game ahead of the FedEx Cup playoffs
Despite his mixed year, Schauffele is set to be 11th in the FedEx Cup standings with only the Wyndham Championship to be played before the playoffs begin.
Of course, few players have been more impressive at East Lake over the last decade than Schauffele.
And he spoke about what he was trying to achieve at the Rocket Classic as he prepares for the final weeks of the season.
“Yeah, I wanted to come here and get a few feels I guess in play and kind of just freewheel it with sort of a nothing-to-lose mentality,” he said.
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“I felt like I spoke about that when I was a rookie on tour. It’s my 10th year and I’m trying to tap back into that. I’m trying to be free and if I hit loose shots, I hit loose shots but feel free when I’m swinging and I think we did a pretty good job of that.”
Obviously, no one has had a year quite like Scottie Scheffler in 2026, with so many close calls since his most recent victory at The American Express.
Xander Schauffele, however, can probably relate having performed well while seemingly well short of his very best throughout the year.
He will hope that his performance at the Rocket Classic is more of a sign of what is to come.
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