Xander Schauffele

While Schauffele has never won the U.S. Open, he has been very close numerous times and Shinnecock Hills is a perfect place for him to finally claim his first win at this major championship. In nine starts at the U.S. Open, Schauffele has never finished worse than T14th. The 32-year-old has finished inside the top-seven six times, including a T6 at Shinnecock in 2018.

Among this field, Schauffele ranks first in average finish (7.7) and first in strokes gained per round at the U.S. Open (2.79). The 10-time PGA TOUR winner gained strokes in every major category when he competed at Shinnecock in 2018 and Schauffele closed the major with a 2-under 68, which was a strong score at the difficult par 70, as Brooks Koepka won at +1 that week.

Since his T6 at Shinnecock, Schauffele has won eight times, including two major victories. The veteran returns to Shinnecock in convincing form, posting five top-10 finishes in his last nine starts. Schauffele finished third at THE PLAYERS Championship in March and at this season’s first two majors, he finished T9th at the Masters and T7th at the PGA Championship.

Schauffele has finished inside the top-12 in 11 of his 14 major starts over the last four years and he ranks second in this field in strokes gained per round at majors, trailing only Scottie Scheffler.

Measuring in at 7,440 yards, Shinnecock is a very long par 70 where long hitters hold an edge and elite iron play is essential in winning. Koepka finished first in SG APP and second in driving distance when he won at Shinnecock in 2018, and Schauffele ranks top-30 in both these categories this season. He also ranks 17th in par four performance, which bodes very well for Shinnecock, as this course is a traditional par 70 with 12 par fours.

Four of Schauffele’s 10 wins have come at par 70s, including a two-shot win at TPC River Highlands for the Travelers Championship in 2022. This victory is notable, as TPC River Highlands is located in Connecticut, just about three hours north of Shinnecock in Southampton, New York.

Schauffele ranks eighth in this field in strokes gained per round at courses in the Northeast and just this past September, he dominated at the Ryder Cup played at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, New York, finishing in a tie with Cameron Young for the most points scored by a Team USA player. Schauffele clearly has a knack for competing in the Northeast and him winning at Shinnecock this week would be very fitting.

On DraftKings Sportsbook, Schauffele carries the fourth-best odds to win the U.S. Open at +1850.

Past One and Done Tournament Results

The Sony Open: J.J. Spaun (T40)

The American Express: Si Woo Kim (T6)

The Farmers Insurance Open: Will Zalatoris (MC)

WM Phoenix Open: Maverick McNealy (T13)

AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am: Justin Rose (T37)

The Genesis Invitational: Hideki Matsuyama (T28)

Cognizant Classic in the Palm Beaches: Shane Lowry (T2)

Arnold Palmer Invitational: Rory McIlroy (WD)

THE PLAYERS Championship: Collin Morikawa (WD)

Valspar Championship: Jacob Bridgeman (T14)

Texas Children’s Houston Open: Sam Burns (T21)

Valero Texas Open: Russell Henley (MC)

The Masters: Jon Rahm (T38)

RBC Heritage: Jordan Spieth (T33rd)

Cadillac Championship: Cameron Young (first)

Truist Championship: Ludvig Aberg (T8)

PGA Championship: Scottie Scheffler (T14)

CJ CUP Byron Nelson: Christiaan Bezuidenhout (MC)

Charles Schwab Challenge: Rickie Fowler (MC)

Memorial Tournament: Patrick Cantlay (T17)

RBC Canadian Open: Wyndham Clark (T11)

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