Xander Schauffele has had plenty of success in no-cut events. He admits there’s something to that freedom.
Xander Schauffele has an Olympic gold medal and winning Ryder Cup memories to file away for 2021, but those two details alone won’t make the past year of his golf life go down as a complete success. As he makes his first start of the 2021-22 PGA Tour season at this week’s CJ Cup at the Summit Club in Las Vegas, Schauffele reflected honestly on the past year.
“I feel not that I failed on the PGA Tour season, but I didn’t really accomplish what I wanted to,” he said. “And I did get worse in certain categories throughout the year, but I was able to step up to the plate in sort of, I guess, tournaments that don’t count for the PGA Tour, or to a certain extent, I should say.
“It’s an interesting feeling. I feel like I’ve had success, but then again I missed out on a lot of things that I wanted to accomplish on the PGA Tour.”
Success in the Ryder Cup – one of those “tournaments that don’t count” – certainly helped wash the bad taste out of his mouth from last season, but statistics gathered in the run-up to that event also exposed some harsh realities about his game.
“I mean, the scouts from the Ryder Cup let me know that from pretty much 80 to 140 yards, I got worse, I performed worse,” Schauffele said. “So I told them thank you for the kick in the rear end to be better.”
Xander Schauffele and Jordan Spieth celebrate after defeating Team Europe 19 to 9 during Sunday Singles Matches of the 43rd Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)
The Ryder Cup and Olympics are what Schauffele referred to as “non-Tour wins” but they bring a confidence boost all the same. In terms of mindset, no-cut events – like this week’s CJ Cup – bring a different vibe, too. Asked whether four guaranteed rounds helps him feel like he can free-wheel it a little bit more, Schauffele noted there could be something to that thinking.
Three of Schauffele’s four career Tour victories have come in such events.
Early on, when Schauffele was navigating the Korn Ferry Tour as a newbie pro in 2016, he missed eight cuts in his first 12 events. He didn’t explode onto the scene until later in her career, noting, “I never really had like an easy time running through tournaments.”
“So I think if I am playing well and I do get in these no cut events,” he said, “there’s a chance that mentally or subconsciously I am sort of freewheeling it, like you said. I’ll take more risk and not really feel any pressure to pull it off because I know there’s no penalty in the end.”
With 77 other golfers competing for a first-place prize of $1,755,000, that’s a particularly appropriate attitude for the gold medalist to take this week in Las Vegas.
Everything you need to know for the first round of the CJ Cup.
After a week at TPC Summerlin the PGA Tour’s best are staying in Sin City for a second week.
Just a few miles down the road The Summit Club in Las Vegas plays host for the first time to the Tour’s 2021 CJ Cup. The course is a Tom Fazi design and will play 7,431 yards to a par of 72. The strong field is highlighted by Dustin Johnson, two-time winner Justin Thomas, Viktor Hovland, Louis Oosthuizen, Xander Schauffele and defending champion Jason Kokrak.
From tee times to TV and streaming info, here’s everything you need to know for the first round of the CJ Cup. All times Eastern.
You can watch Golf Channel for free on fuboTV. All times ET.
Thursday, Oct. 14
TV
Golf Channel: 5-8 p.m.
STREAMING
PGA Tour Live: 10:15 a.m.-8 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 15
TV
Golf Channel: 5-8 p.m.
STREAMING
PGA Tour Live: 10:15 a.m.-8 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 16
TV
NBC/Golf Channel: 5-8 p.m.
Sunday, Oct. 17
TV
NBC/Golf Channel: 5-8 p.m.
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Las Vegas once again plays host to the best players in the world.
After Sungjae Im’s victory at the Shriners Children’s Open, the PGA Tour heads just 10 minutes down the road to The Summit Club for the CJ Cup. Jason Kokrak is the defending champion, whose Sunday 64 cemented his two-shot victory over Xander Schauffele.
World No. 2 Dustin Johnson is making his 2021-22 season debut, but if his play at the 43rd Ryder Cup at Whistling Straits is any indication, he should be right in the mix come Sunday afternoon. Johnson’s partner throughout much of the United States’ rout of Europe, Collin Morikawa, is actually a member at The Summit Club. Justin Thomas, like the aforementioned pair, is making his season debut. He’s a two-time CJ Cup champion, with both wins coming at Nine Bridges, a championship layout in South Korea.
The CJ Cup is once again state-side due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Golf course
The Summit Club
Par 72
7,431 yards
Tom Fazio design
Quick note: I wouldn’t read too much into its location. Despite the surrounding dirt and desert, this course will play more like a parkland style, with only the furthest off-target tee balls having a chance to find the sand.
Weather
Day
Conditions
Percent chance of rain
Wind & Direction
Tuesday
Partly Cloudy
12 percent
20 MPH (NNW)
Wednesday
Sunny
0 percent
5 MPH (ENE)
Thursday
Sunny
0 percent
8 MPH (N)
Friday
Sunny
0 percent
10 MPH (NNE)
Saturday
Sunny
0 percent
6 MPH (NE)
Sunday
Partly Cloudy
0 percent
6 MPH (E)
Key stats
It’s always tough to determine key stats for a venue of which we have little-to-no knowledge. It’s the first time The Summit Club will be featured on the PGA Tour, and it’s private existence lends zero insider information.
However (from what I’ve been able to put together from their website, photos, and YouTube), it looks like a big ballpark. Driving distance, more often than not, is an advantage on Tour, and this week seems like no exception.
Data Golf information
Trending (among the players in the field): 1. Sungjae Im (last 3 starts: T-20, T-31, 1), 2. Cameron Smith (2, T-34, T-14), 3. Kevin Na (T-17, 3, MC)
Percent chance to win (based on course history, fit, trending, etc.): 1. Justin Thomas (4.1 percent), 2. Viktor Hovland (3.8 percent), 3. Rory McIlroy (3.8 percent)
Viktor Hovland: Hovland’s ball-striking at the Shriners Open was on another level. He gained 5.42 strokes off the tee, while gaining another 5.28 on approach. However, he lost 8.91 strokes around the green. That’s bad. That’s almost so bad I can’t wrap my head around it. I don’t expect that to happen again, though.
Despite the different venue, Hovland competed well in the loaded CJ Cup field last year and finished T-12. If you’re looking for a course comparison, I love to highlight other courses designed by the same architect. Quail Hollow, which went through a 2017 renovation by Tom Fazio, is a good place to start.
Back in May, Hovland tied for third at the Wells Fargo Championship (played at Quail Hollow).
If his short game is even mediocre this week, look for him to improve on his T-44 from the Shriners, and even find himself in the mix come Sunday.
Viktor Hovland hits his tee shot on the 14th hole during round one of the Shriners Children’s Open at TPC Summerlin on October 07, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
Rory McIlroy: If you’ve never listened to my podcast, Twilight 9 (coming soon to Golfweek), let me share a little tidbit with you. I love Rory McIlroy. That’s my guy, and every single time he tees it up I talk myself into thinking he’ll win that week (just wait for the Masters, I really turn it on every April).
Do I love what I saw at the Ryder Cup? Nope, although he did beat Schauffele pretty handily in their Sunday singles match. But his course history couldn’t be much better than that at Quail Hollow, which includes a win just a few months ago over Abraham Ancer.
This will be his first start of the new season, so hopefully he’s used the last few weeks to get his game back in shape.
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Max Homa: It’s tough to ignore the value we can still get with Homa (+6000), especially since the last time he teed it up, he won. The Fortinet Championship was Homa’s third win on Tour, and he’s establishing himself as a top player in the world.
He resides in Arizona, so playing in the desert will make him feel right at home. Homa averaged over 310 yards off the tee in Napa, so keeping up with the big boys won’t be an issue for him.
If his iron game also made the trip to Nevada, keep an eye out for Homa. Love him for a top 20 this week. (Also, I don’t know how someone could possible bet against that mustache.)
Max Homa celebrates with the champion’s trophy after winning the Fortinet Championship at Silverado Resort and Spa on September 19, 2021 in Napa, California. (Photo by Meg Oliphant/Getty Images)
Collin Morikawa: Tough to argue he doesn’t have a leg up on this field.
He’s coming off a stellar performance at the Ryder Cup, with his only non-win coming in Sunday singles where he halved with Hovland. He’s not long off the tee by any means, but his out-of-this-world iron play makes up for that.
Last season at Shadow Creek, Morikawa finished a respectable T-12. This will be his 2021-22 debut.
Collin Morikawa reacts before teeing off on the sixth hole during the Pro-Am at the BMW Championship golf tournament, Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021, at Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, Maryland. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
“I think overall the consistency throughout the season wasn’t there. I think it’s just a little more motivation for me.”
LAS VEGAS – Collin Morikawa’s meteoric rise to golf’s elite plateau has earned him a current world ranking of No. 3, a Claret Jug and a Wanamaker Trophy.
But the 24-year-old said he has one more step to take.
“I think overall the consistency throughout the season wasn’t there,” he said. “I think it’s just a little more motivation for me coming into this new season.
“I can’t get complacent. I always want to keep pushing myself, right? I want to keep getting better and I think there’s a lot of room for improvement.”
Guy sets a high bar. Since turning pro in 2019, he’s made 57 starts on the PGA Tour and has five wins – the 2020 PGA Championship, in just his second start in a major, the 2021 British Open in just his eighth start in a major, and a WGC title in 2021 among his wins. He also has three runner-up finishes and 13 other top-10s and missed only five cuts.
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But it’s those five missed cuts – and the 31 other times he’s finished out of the top-10 – that continues to drive him.
His destination would be current residence of Jon Rahm, the world No. 1 who racked up 15 top-10s last season and contends nearly every week.
“There’s a lot of things looking back at the past few seasons that I want to improve,” Morikawa said Tuesday at The Summit Club, home to this week’s CJ Cup. “I think if I improve those while still maintaining or getting better already what my strengths are, I’ll just be contending more. I’ll come down to those weekends a little more often and hopefully we can keep closing out tournaments.
“Can I find little aspects of my game that I can get better at? Absolutely. One thing, I’m pretty bad out of the rough. I need to be more specific in what consistency means, right? Whether that’s putting or chipping or ball‑striking, whatever it may be, there’s little aspects to building those kind of blocks for consistency.”
Morikawa makes his season debut coming off a sterling Ryder Cup debut where he went 3-0-1 as Team USA drubbed Team Europe. Besides his gaudy record, Morikawa took something away from that week in Wisconsin at Whistling Straits that he thinks will help him going forward.
Team USA player Collin Morikawa plays his shot from the fourth tee during day three singles rounds for the 43rd Ryder Cup golf competition at Whistling Straits. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
“The Ryder Cup is a whole other beast of itself, right?” he said. “You fight so much more. I think you’re ready by hole one. Sometimes you wake up on a Thursday in a tournament and you just aren’t mentally ready, but at the Ryder Cup you have to be ready, right, you want to be 1 up through 1, you want to be 2 up through 2.
“Those are lessons to learn, that a tournament is 72 holes and the 250th shot is going to be the same as the first shot, right? They all count as one shot, so you have to be prepared like that.”
Morikawa should be prepared this week. He’s one of only two players in the field who are members at The Summit, a spectacular venue with views of the Las Vegas Strip and Red Rock Canyon. Morikawa practices here on his off weeks and has shot a 62 over the expansive layout.
So he and Maverick McNealy, the other member, have a slight advantage. Just a slight advantage he said, because he’s facing the best players in the world and they quickly adapt to new courses many times.
“It’s nice to sleep in my own bed and to be at Summit. It’s kind of unique. I don’t think I’ve ever played a tournament on a home, home course,” he said. “I’m not sure how I’m really going to go into this week just mentally about that, but I have to remember that this is still a tournament, this is the start of a new season and I’ve got to be ready by Thursday just like every other week.
“There’s a sense of comfort, right? I’m comfortable with a lot of tee shots, I’m comfortable with the approaches, I know where the greens break, I know where to miss the shots, so hopefully we can execute the shots this week. There’s not that sense of urgency to figure out the golf course per se today on Tuesday or tomorrow during the pro‑am.
