“So I don’t hurt it again” - Xander Schauffele careful about his backache at The American Express

Xander Schauffele has returned and his troubles with his back seem to have gone as well. The golfer was eager to play at The American Express after a forgettable Sentry Tournament of Champions outing in Hawaii last week.

Schauffele was forced to pull out of the event due to a back injury. The golfer missed out on a big opportunity to bag some FedEx Cup points at the event. Stating that the back issue had been causing trouble for a while, the golfer revealed that he would get it diagnosed as soon as he could. Now, the golfer is back and said that he was taking it “slow” so as to avoid “getting hurt again.”

Speaking at The American Express about his back, Xander Schauffele said:

“It’s a little sore. Trying to be as patient as possible to take things as slow as possible in terms of getting too many reps in, and I guess being stupid in that sense. But I’m known to try to practice too much at times. I’m trying to take this one slow so I don’t hurt it again or do something of that nature.”

Schauffele’s backache began last year. Speaking at the Sentry TOC in Hawaii, the golfer revealed that he was yet to diagnose his back issue, which has been nagging him since the Hero World Challenge in The Bahamas. The 2019 Tournament of Champions winner said that he couldn't swing at full speed due to the pain and was ready to get the MRI done quickly.

It is pertinent to note that Schauffele had a strong start at this week’s event. The American golfer played a 7-under 65 at La Quinta Country Club on Thursday. At the end of Day 1, the golfer was tied for seventh, only three shots behind leader Davis Thompson.

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Xander Schauffele looks for better results

Xander Schauffele's 2023 hasn’t gone well so far. The 29-year-old withdrew from the 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions citing backache. He has already skipped the Sony Open and is set to miss the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am as well.

Addressing the same, the golfer added that he plans to have a favorable start to the remainder of his 2022-23 season at the event. Stating that “winning early makes things very nice,” the San Diego native said that he was staying positive.

He said:

“I would say the West Coast is usually a nice coast for me. I grew up on this side and I’ve definitely been able to make some points up on this side of the United States. Us pros, we kind of stock our calendar how we see fit.

"When you win early and get points up on the board early, it’s really nice and it really frees you up almost in terms of what you can do the rest of the year in terms of flexibility and taking a tournament off if you’re tired or adding one if you want to add more points. So definitely winning early makes things very nice.”

The golfer will be eyeing some valuable points at the ongoing event in the U.S. to cover up for shortcomings this season.