"A big bounceback is coming" – Analyst predicts Xander Schauffele's major resurgence in 2026 after steady 2025 season

A golf analyst made a big prediction about Xander Schauffele's game for the next season. The American was phenomenal in the last season and won two Major Championships. However, this season, he had steady finishes.

In this week's episode of the Golf Channel Podcast with Rex and Lav, the hosts opened up about the 2025 Majors and the performances of different players. Speaking of Xander Schauffele, Lav talked about his struggles in 2025 in the majors. He said,

"It just shows the game, the caliber, the class of this player. Like, the made-cut streak that he currently has on the PGA Tour is amazing. Was it disappointing compared to 2024? Of course it was. It was going to be incredibly difficult to follow up a major season in which he won twice and was eighth or better in all the major championships. I think Xander Schauffele, though, learned a lot about his swing and about his body. I think a big bounceback's coming in 2026." (40:01 onwards)

Xander Schauffele started his major outing at The Masters this year and had a decent T8 finish. But then he struggled in his next two appearances. He was tied for 28th at the PGA Championship and then T12 at the U.S. Open. Then again, he recorded a top-10 finish at The Open at T7. However, these results pale in comparison to his 2024 performance, when he won the PGA Championship and The Open.

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A quick comparison between Xander Schauffele's 2024 and 2025 seasons

Xander Schauffele started his 2025 season at The Sentry, and he played the four rounds of 72, 70, 66, and 67 to settle in a tie for 30th place. He had struggled in the initial few tournaments but made a comeback with a T13 at the Valspar Championship. He was tied for eighth at The Masters and then T11 at the Truist Championship.

Here are the results of tournaments Xander Schauffele played in 2025:

• The Sentry: T30 (72, 70, 66, 67)
• Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard: T40 (77, 71, 75, 69)
• THE PLAYERS Championship: 72 (72, 71, 77, 81)
• Valspar Championship: T12 (70, 68, 75, 66)
• Masters Tournament: T8 (73, 69, 70, 71)
• RBC Heritage: T18 (69, 68, 71, 67)
• Truist Championship: T11 (67, 69, 69, 66)
• PGA Championship: T28 (72, 71, 72, 68)
• the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday: T25 (73, 69, 74, 76)
• U.S. Open: T12 (72, 74, 71, 69)
• Travelers Championship: T61 (69, 72, 68, 75)
• Genesis Scottish Open: T8 (68, 66, 71, 66)
• The Open: T7 (71, 69, 66, 68)

In 2024, he started the season with a T10 finish at The Sentry and then recorded a T3 at The American Express. Some of his notable finishes from the last season included T9 at the Farmers Insurance Open and T4 at the Genesis Invitational, along with his victories at the majors.

Here are his results for the 2024 season:

• The Sentry: T10 (66, 69, 65, 68)
• The American Express: T3 (64, 69, 63, 65)
• Farmers Insurance Open: T9 (69, 68, 72, 70)
• AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am: T54 (73, 72, 67)
• The Genesis Invitational: T4 (70, 66, 65, 70)
• Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard: T25 (72, 70, 76, 70)
• THE PLAYERS Championship: T2 (65, 69, 65, 70)
• Valspar Championship: T5 (68, 72, 71, 65)
• Masters Tournament: 8 (72, 72, 70, 73)
• RBC Heritage: T18 (72, 64, 67, 72)
• Wells Fargo Championship: 2 (64, 67, 70, 71)
• PGA Championship: 1 (62, 68, 68, 65)
• the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday: T8 (68, 73, 71, 75)
• U.S. Open: T7 (70, 69, 72, 68)
• Travelers Championship: T13 (65, 65, 64, 70)
• Genesis Scottish Open: T15 (69, 65, 67, 67)
• The Open: 1 (69, 72, 69, 65)
• FedEx St. Jude Championship: T2 (66, 69, 67, 63
• BMW Championship: T5 (69, 73, 67, 71)
• TOUR Championship: T4 (70, 64, 71, 68)
• ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP: T41 (73, 65, 68, 69)