Xander Schauffele isn’t teeing it up at the Genesis Invitational this week, but the two-time major champion told Golfweek’s Adam Schupak that he is nearing a return from a rib injury that has sidelined him for over a month.
Schauffele’s target return date? The Arnold Palmer Invitational which will be played at Bay Hill Golf Club and Lodge in Orlando beginning on March 6.
“Taking the Genesis off gives me three weeks leading into Bay Hill,” Schauffele told Schupak. “I want to get as many reps under the belt before the Masters. It would be nice to get the competitive blood flowing a few times before going into a really big event and also have the Players coming up.”
Schauffele suffered the rib injury, which has been called an acute intercostal strain/ micro tear, in the offseason.
The defending PGA and Open champion played at The Sentry and in the very first TGL match before having to pull out of the American Express to rest the injury.
Schauffele, who is from San Diego, said he hoped to return by now but cited the rough at Torrey Pines as the reason he chose not to return for this week’s Genesis Invitational or the Farmers Insurance Open.
“I need a little more TLC, especially at 31 versus 25 and make sure everything is oiled correctly,” Schauffele told Schupak. “I thought I’d be fine and kept going and played through it at Sentry and at the first TGL match. I was pretty much tapped. I knew it was getting significantly worse and needed time off.
“With really thick rough, I could potentially re-injure myself,” Schauffele said of Torrey Pines. “Everyone I’ve talked to said the worst thing you can do is come back to soon. Guys have told me about being hurt 6-12 weeks later. I don’t want to deal with a stop and go. Once I’m back, I just want to go. I’ve been instructed to be patient and make sure I’m 100 percent.”
The 31-year-old has avoided the injury bug during most of his career on the PGA Tour. He is coming off a marquee season that saw him win two major championships. He has great history at Augusta National, with four top-10 finishes in six starts.
With the Masters less than 60 days away, Schauffele wants to make sure his body and game are right for the year’s first major instead of pushing himself and winding up less than 100 percent for Augusta National.
