American rookie Schauffele hopes to finish like a veteran

AMERICAN rookie Xander Schauffele is hoping that history will repeat itself in the CIMB Classic at the TPC Kuala Lumpur this weekend.

Three weeks after sharing the spotlight at the Tour Championship back home, Schauffele will walk the fairways together with defending champion Justin Thomas.

Both are playing in the same flight, which also includes Malaysia’s Gavin Kyle Green.

Schauffele beat Thomas by one stroke to win the Tour Championship in Atlanta and was later voted the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year.

Yet, the 23-year-old has had little time to celebrate his achievements as he gets ready for his CIMB Classic debut.

“I was only home for 12 days after the season ended, so not a whole lot of time.

“It means the world to me (winning the Rookie of the Year) and I think any award based on the vote of your peers is truly the highest honour.

“I couldn’t be happier,” said Schauffele, who is excited to be paired up with Thomas for the first time.

“Obviously, I finished well last year.

“So I’m just excited. I’ve never played with him before.

“It’s always good to be paired with someone who is playing well,” said Schaufelle, who tied for fifth in the US Open in June.

Asked about his expectations for this weekend, Schauffele said he was just hoping for a good week here.

“This is my second time playing in Asia. My first time was in Japan earlier, so the grass is different.

“It’s very soft but the greens are kind of firm.

“I would have liked to have a couple more looks at it before I came out. I played the front nine twice and the back nine for the first time today.

“So we’ll see. I’m excited to play and I think if I can get the driver going, I think the course is very doable.

“Obviously winning big tournaments and stuff like that is what we all want to do, but I think if I can kind of focus on the small, nitty-gritty things in my game, it will pay off,” said the American, whose father is German and mother a Taiwanese.