Schauffele ends drought, Thitikul ends streak

Check in every week for the unfiltered opinions of our writers and editors as they break down the hottest topics in the sport, and join the conversation by tweeting us at @golf_com. This week, we discuss Xander Schauffele’s return to the winner’s circle, Jeeno Thitikul breaking an LPGA streak, fromer pros playing in the U.S. Mid-Am, Tiger Woods’ latest surgery and more.

Xander Schauffele won the first two majors of his career last season but was winless in an injury-plagued 2025 — until this weekend, when he won the Baycurrent Classic in Japan by beating Max Greyserman, who has now finished runner-up on Tour five times and is still without a victory. Who needed Sunday’s trophy more — Schauffele or Greyserman?

Sean Zak, senior writer (@sean_zak): The correct answer is probably Greyserman, as we’ve seen when it comes to guys needing to get over that first-victory hump. But Schauffele had genuinely battled some confidence issues throughout this year. Remember, it was Xander who we counted on to mount any serious defense to Scottie Scheffler’s war on pro golfers. Schauffele considered himself a couple pegs below Scheffler at the beginning of 2025 and that had to grow and grow as the season wore on, without any wins or even real moments in contention. This was massive for him just to remind himself — you’re one of the five best golfers in the world. 

Nick Piastowski, senior editor (@nickpia): I think the answer comes down to what you like more — a breakthrough or a re-breakthrough. Greyserman has put together a solid couple of years on the PGA Tour and is one of pro golf’s hardest workers, and you get the feeling one win would lead to three more quickly — so you could argue that he needed it more, as you’d like to see him keep rolling. But if you’re a fan of stars and players who play at the highest levels, then the answer is Schauffele. This season, the two-time major winner has been battling back from injury, and for him to start next year with a win at the top of his mind is no doubt beneficial.  

Josh Sens, senior writer (@joshsens): That’s a good way of framing it, Nick. Greyserman is still looking for that first W, so he needed it more. But the game as whole is more compelling when a guy like Schauffele is in synch. 

Jeeno Thitikul won the LPGA Shanghai in a playoff to become the LPGA Tour’s first two-time winner this season, ending a surprising streak in which the 26 previous events this season were won by 26 different players. This comes just one year after Nelly Korda won seven times last year. Which is better — the parity or a player or two dominating?

Zak: It is not the parity. I promise you it is not the parity. TV ratings, overall interest, etc. will back it up. The LPGA needs at least one, if not two or three front-runners that are locking horns against each other and setting some standard for players 5-30 to fight for. 

Piastowski: The depth of talent on the LPGA is stunning — but greatness sells. You tune in for Tom Brady. For Michael Jordan. For Nelly Korda. The hope, I would think, is that the players around her will push her to even greater heights. 

Sens: A fiery rivalry is best. That obviously requires a rare kind of talent, but also certain personality types. I’ve heard some grousers complain of Scottie Scheffler’s “Pete Sampras” effect–dominance without flash or a full embrace of the spotlight can have a dulling effect. As Sean says, the LPGA needs a player like Korda at her best–ideally with a few foils around her.

2025 U.S. Mid-Amateur champ Brandon Holtz joined GOLF’s Subpar podcast to break down his mid-am title and playing Augusta, and he also discussed the controversial topic regarding former pros regaining amateur status. At the U.S. Mid-Am, 14 of the final 16 players were former pros. Do you have any issue with this? Should it be harder for pros to regain amateur status?

Zak: The problem with the phrasing of this question is it makes all 14 cases seem the same. They’re not! I do think the USGA could do a much better job of publicizing its criteria for former pros regaining am status. What does a cup of coffee on the PGA Tour mean on that journey? To answer the question, I’m mostly conflicted without good, hard information and context. Dear USGA, help us out and maybe we’ll stop talking about it!

Piastowski: I just wonder if this can’t be solved by another category — let those who’ve always played as amateurs play in one category, and have those one-time pros play in another. Just a thought. 

Sens: I’m not sure exactly what the answer is, but the issue needs to be addressed as events like the Mid-Am are losing touch with their original identity. A similar issue reared its head at this year’s Walker Cup, which featured a guy who’d been playing pro golf only a year before. Remember the Pub-Links, which got away from its roots and became so overrun by college standouts that it became unrecognizable and was cast into the dustbin? No one wants to see a repeat. A smart friend of mine suggests that as with so many things in golf, Augusta National holds the cards in this: if the green jackets put a foot down and said something like, we don’t want to see former pros getting into the Masters on the strength of an amateur win; it’s not in the amateur spirit of Bobby Jones. So, do something about this or we’re going to stop extending April invites to some of your amateur event winners.

Two TV-centric announcements came last week: the full schedule of season 2 of TGL and the news of Netflix’s Full Swing coming back for season 4. Now with sample sizes at our disposal, have these two supplementary productions succeeded in expanding the sport’s reach? Anything you’d like to see different from either?

Zak: As much variability as possible in results of shots from TGL. Whatever you think is a lot, I want more. And as for Full Swing, my attention span for that show is pretty minimal now. I’m not the audience they’re chasing, though! So if I were asking for something, it would be hyper-narrow focus on all the ways the PGA Tour is DIFFERENT from F1 or the ATP Tour. Because the same company has produced a lot of the same docu-follows on pro sports, these world tours all seem like slightly different cousins when in reality they’re very, very different. 

Piastowski: To the first question, the answer is yes. Golf on a Monday night in the dead of winter, as TGL provides, is something additive. Golf stories on demand, as “Full Swing” offers, are something additive. Here are some requests. To TGL, fewer house ads; we don’t need constant reminders why we’re tuned in. (And I like Sean’s idea — gimme the funky.) As for “Full Swing,” you’ve established your ‘stars,’ so now let’s go deeper. I don’t mind the season yearbook approach, but, as my editors say, tell me something I don’t know. 

Sens: I’m not sure whether to think of these shows as engines of change or mirrors that capture how the game is evolving. Probably a bit of both. Personally, I have a hard time getting very excited about either. But I’m not the target market, and based on my anecdotal experience (getting paired with strangers on the course; listening to friends’ kids talk about golf), I’m not the best barometer of success. In fact, if I find it boring, there’s a pretty good chance you’ve got a runaway success.

Tiger Woods announced he had a seventh back surgery Friday, this one replacing a disk in his lower back that caused pain and mobility issues. Do you think we’ll see Tiger in 2026?

Zak: Not as a player. Hopefully as a very comfortable, walking-18 golf dad/coach! And very likely as a TGL non-playing captain. For all the Tiger obsessives desperate to see Woods as the next American Ryder Cup captain, I think we’re forgetting that his main priority in 2027 will be watching/traveling alongside Charlie Woods’ burgeoning college career. 

Piastowski: I don’t see it, and it’ll also be a bit disappointing not to see him and son Charlie at this year’s PNC Championship. But then again, that’s his call and he knows his body best. Champs tour golf also allows for carts, you know.  

Sens: Not in competition. But he’s got other roles to play in the game and in life. Seems long past the time for us all to let go of expecting anything more.

The Korn Ferry Tour season ended Sunday at French Lick in Indiana with 20 players earning PGA Tour membership for 2026. Who is one player casual fans should have on their radars? 

Zak: Casuals love to obsess about the longest golfers in the pro game — I’m excited for them to be in awe of Davis Chatfield, who doesn’t hit it far but just knows how to get the damn ball in the hole. He was 140th in driving distance but 1st in accuracy. On the KFT — the ultimate mash-it-and-chase-it tour — that’s not necessarily a recipe for success, but he found plenty of it with three top-3 finishes. That’ll get you to the big leagues. No,w what can you do with it?

Piastowski: Neal Shipley. He’s a personality. He’s a player. He’s a Waffle House enjoyer. The PGA Tour needs all of that.  

Sens: Christo Lamprecht. Crazy tall. Crazy long. Far from another robopro in appearance and playing style. We’ve seen flashes of him, like when he briefly held the lead at the Open a couple years ago. It will be fun to see more.