Xander Schauffele’s Strategy for Handling the Biggest Putt of His Life

You’ve got the biggest putt of your life in front of you. For Xander Schauffele, this putt was the key to securing his first major victory and silencing his critics. What goes through your head in such a pivotal moment? That’s precisely what hosts Colt Knost and Drew Stolz asked Xander on GOLF’s Subpar podcast. Schauffele’s response was revealing.

“My hands were shaking,” he recalled. “I just told myself, ‘Big muscles. Stop reading this thing so much. Let’s just hit this and commit to it. Don’t call [my caddie] Austin in. Let’s not get all these opinions and freak yourself out.’ I didn’t want to sit there and psych myself out about an uphill 6-foot putt. I was like, ‘Just keep it simple. You have done this all day. Just smoke this thing,’ and I made it.”

There’s a lot to unpack in Schauffele’s approach, so let’s break it down:

1. “Big Muscles”
Schauffele focuses on taking his hands out of the putting stroke as much as possible. His distinctive putting grip is designed specifically for this purpose. By reminding himself to use his “big muscles,” he concentrated on rocking his chest back and forth, reducing reliance on the more inconsistent timing of his hands. This method helped maintain a smoother, more controlled stroke.

2. “Keep it Simple”
Interestingly, Schauffele chose not to seek advice from his caddie for this critical putt. It’s not a matter of distrusting his caddie’s insights; rather, he wanted to avoid overloading his mind with too much information when it was already racing. Simplifying his thought process helped him stay calm and focused on the task at hand.

3. “Commit”
This final piece of advice is valuable for everyone, not just golfers. Embrace the moment and accept that you cannot control the outcome entirely. Your best chance of success comes from committing fully to the action you’re about to take. That’s exactly what Schauffele did. By putting his all into that one shot, he gave himself the best possible chance of success.

In essence, Schauffele’s approach under pressure highlights the importance of muscle memory, simplicity, and commitment. These elements combined to help him conquer one of the most significant moments of his career.