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Xander Schauffele will reportedly return to competition at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at the Bay Hill Club and Lodge, Orlando in March. The World No. 2 is currently recovering from a rib injury.
Schauffele tolf Golfweek on Thursday that he wants to get in as many events as he can before heading to the Masters in April.
"Taking the Genesis off gives me three weeks leading into Bay Hill. 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."
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The 31-year-old was last seen at The Sentry in early January and has been on a break from competition since the opening match of TGL. He suffered an acute intercostal strain/ micro tear during the off season. The ace golfer blamed overuse for his rib cage injury.
However, Schauffele continued to play through the pain at The Sentry. He had finished T30 and underestimated the discomfort the injury would cause him.
"I need a little more TLC, especially at 31 versus 25 and make sure everything is oiled correctly. 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."
"I’ve been instructed to be patient" - Xander Schauffele
Although Xander Schauffele is itching to return to tournaments, he has chosen to take a cautious approach towards his comeback. He doesn't want to risk getting injured again (via Golfweek).
"With really thick rough, I could potentially re-injure myself. 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."
Schauffele has missed out on several events due to his injury, including two in his hometown. Initially, he had aimed for the WM Phoenix Open or the Genesis Invitational to be his comeback event. But it seems that Arnold Palmer Invitational would be his return date after all. The event will begin on March 6th 2025.
