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Sidney Crosby’s new contract keeps him with Penguins — and in control

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Sidney Crosby’s new contract keeps him with Penguins — and in control

Before Sidney Crosby’s first home opener at Pittsburgh’s now-extinct Mellon Arena in October 2005, Mario Lemieux walked past a media scrum encircling Crosby and into the players’ lounge, pouring a cup of black coffee.

Smirking, he opined about soon being “forgotten.” Then, in an unusually earnest moment, Lemieux predicted Crosby would “own all my records one day,” nodded his head and walked out.

Lemieux might have undersold it. Crosby will have an opportunity to break Lemieux’s Penguins records, but also NHL records by Wayne Gretzky (most consecutive seasons averaging at least a point per game) and Steve Yzerman (most consecutive seasons as a team captain).

“(Lemieux) really said that?” Crosby said on Monday afternoon, after speaking with Pittsburgh media following his annual delivery of season tickets to an unsuspecting family in Mars, Pa. “Like, really?

“Uh, there’s still a long way to go.”

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Not too long. Crosby needs 99 goals, 30 assists, and 128 points to knock Lemieux from the Penguins’ perch in those regular-season categories. He long ago set the franchise marks for postseason assists (130) and points (201), and needs only six postseason goals to do one better than Lemieux’s 76.

Still, after Crosby signed a new, two-year contract with an $8.7 million average annual value with the Penguins on Monday, he’ll get at least three more cracks at a bargain rate to notch more accomplishments.

GO DEEPER

Crosby’s new Penguins contract is his sweetest assist yet

Whether he drags the Penguins along for the ride — and back into a position of prominence — or becomes the only reason to care about a proud-turned-fledgling franchise could determine if Crosby does what Lemiex did in Pittsburgh: stay until the end of his career.

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Crosby has said he wants to play only for the Penguins. He also wants to chase another Stanley Cup championship.

The Penguins have not qualified for the last two playoffs and will again enter a season with one of the NHL’s oldest rosters. Since Kyle Dubas traded for star defenseman Erik Karlsson last August, the Penguins’ front-office boss’s most intriguing acquisitions have been a handful of prospects.

Once a rite of passage for Crosby’s Penguins, a postseason appearance is hardly guaranteed before his new contract expires. Intriguingly, that contract is structured so he can leverage an exit before its final season if Dubas doesn’t quickly return the Penguins to contender status.

Crosby’s contract is designated 35-plus, a notable status per the collective bargaining agreement between the NHL and its Players Association. The contract includes two signing bonuses — a choice, essentially, by Crosby and agent Pat Brisson to get the bulk of the actual money paid before Crosby plays the final season of the new deal.

Crosby will earn $780,000 and $1.09 million in salary respectively in Years 1 and 2 of the new contract. But he will have been paid $16.31 million in real money before playing a game in Year 2.

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Who cares how Penguins owner Fenway Sports Group pays Crosby so long as it pays him, right?

Every other GM in the league will care.

With 93.7 percent of Crosby’s salary paid before Year 2 of the new contract, he would come cheap — again, in terms of actual money — in any potential trade during the 2026 offseason. By paying the supermajority of Crosby’s real money before that second contract season, the Penguins could justifiably demand a more favorable return in any potential trade, especially if, as would be likely, they took on a sizeable chunk of Crosby’s cap hit.

It would be just a one-season hit if Dubas retained even 50 percent ($4.35 million) to maximize the return in a trade that would end — albeit probably only temporarily — one of the NHL’s great love stories.

Crosby didn’t sign this new contract to not see it through. He’s said repeatedly, publicly and privately, that he wants to play only for the Penguins.

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He also said he wants to win. He reiterated that point a few hours after the Penguins announced his new contract on Monday.

“I had some conversations with Kyle throughout the process,” Crosby said of the negotiations. “I think that was reassuring — just based on what we discussed as far as there’s still hunger from the organization and ownership to win and a commitment there.

“I think that’s really important. I feel like as players, for all the different guys that have played here over the course of the time that I’ve been here, it’s something that you build as a culture… something’s that’s ingrained. And missing the playoffs for a couple of years, not being in it, is difficult.

“You want to try to find every way possible to get back in there and make sure that we compete for the Stanley Cup. So, I think that was reassuring to hear and that helped. But no, I think it was more just hearing that reassurance.”


After next season, Crosby will be approaching his 39th birthday, and Dubas will have had three full years to set a course. His franchise icon should be able to look at the roster and assess whether it’s a Cup contender. By then, Crosby’s view of the situation in Pittsburgh could depend as much on his opinion of the roster as it could on whether he wants to continue without Evgeni Malkin (likely to retire) and possibly Kris Letang, whose final two contractual seasons are not as trade-prohibitive.

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Crosby reiterated Monday how special it’s been to play 18 seasons with Malkin and Letang as teammates. The Penguins’ Big Three isn’t going past 20 seasons, if only because of Malkin’s contract.

If, after next season, one or both of his dear friends have moved on and the Penguins aren’t closer to winning their first playoff series since 2018, who would begrudge Crosby for wanting what could be his final NHL season to be a shot at the Cup somewhere else?

The onus is on Dubas to make Crosby’s decision easy by then. By keeping his cap hit as is, Crosby provided Dubas precious millions to upgrade the Penguins next offseason and the one after it. If the Penguins are on the upswing after 2025-26, who better than Crosby to show their next potentially great team how to win?

That would be a picture-perfect swan song for Crosby — with the Penguins in the playoffs, one last run before No. 87 is done.

Then, he can take however much time away he wants, start a family and return to the franchise in whatever off-ice capacity he chooses. He doesn’t need to become an owner, as Lemieux did, but he might.

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Crosby’s heart is with the Penguins. He made that clear on Monday.

“It’s probably difficult to put that … into a sound bite,” he said, speaking from the back porch of a suburban Pittsburgh home where he playfully traded high-fives with children wearing various versions of his No. 87 Penguins jersey. “Support (from) the people, the fans, the organization, just everything over the years — it’s been really special, and we’ve had some incredible experiences and memories.

“I just want to continue that.”

(Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; Photos: Jeanine Leech and Brandon Sloter / Icon Sportswire / Getty Images)

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Anthony Richardson details back injury struggles: ‘I couldn’t even stand up’

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Anthony Richardson details back injury struggles: ‘I couldn’t even stand up’

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson revealed Wednesday that he’s been dealing with a lower back issue that “might be chronic.”

The second-year pro was ruled out for last week’s game against the New York Giants due to back and foot injuries, though it’s his back that’s the main problem. Richardson recently underwent an MRI that he said revealed a “disc thing,” and his status for the Colts’ regular-season finale against the Jaguars remains in question.

Colts coach Shane Steichen initially said last week that Richardson was “really sore” before adding after the Giants loss that Richardson was dealing with back spasms. Richardson provided even more detail Wednesday, when he was an estimated “DNP” on the injury report on a day where the Colts didn’t officially practice but held a walkthrough.

“Last week was tough. I couldn’t even stand up on Tuesday, could barely even walk, crawling around the house,” Richardson said. “But I’m here. I’m standing now. If I can do everything in my power to get on the field, I’mma do so. That was my mindset last week as well, but I could barely move.”

Asked if he’s ever dealt with back spasms before, Richardson said “he’s been dealing with stuff like this since eighth grade, but it’s never been this severe.” Richardson said his back issues stem from a “disc thing” that he’s had for a while and it got “triggered” last week.

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Richardson said he thought his back pain stemmed from frequently working out and running around, but now that he’s been made aware it’s a disc problem, he’s hopeful that he’ll be able to treat and manage it.

“It might be chronic, but there’s plenty of ways to prevent it (from) going on in the future,” Richardson said. “Now that I know what it is, I can find certain ways to stay out of certain positions and just make sure I’m healthy, 100 percent.”

Richardson added that he doesn’t believe he’ll need surgery.

“They say it’s not that severe,” Richardson said. “But God willing, I hope it never gets that severe or to that point. I just hope I can just keep playing throughout the rest of my career with no problems.”

Richardson is arguably the most athletic QB in NFL Scouting Combine history, which is a big reason the Colts selected him with the No. 4 pick in 2023 despite just 13 starts at Florida. However, Richardson has missed three games this season and 16 games through his first two NFL seasons due to shoulder, back and oblique injuries, as well as a concussion.

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The 22-year-old was also benched for two games this season because he wasn’t focused enough during his preparation, according to Steichen. Richardson has gone 3-2 as the starter since returning to the starting lineup, and he’s 6-5 this season. He’s thrown eight touchdowns against 12 interceptions, and his 47.7 completion percentage ranks last in the NFL. Richardson has also scored six rushing touchdowns.

Richardson said he’s aware of the critics, many of whom have labeled him injury-prone, and that they have a right to their opinion since he’s missed a significant amount of games. He added that all he can do is work hard and try his best to be available in the future.

“Hopefully, next year — or this week coming up if I’m able to go – hopefully, I don’t miss any games and I can just stay healthy and just play,” Richardson said.

Required reading

(Photo: Luke Hales / Getty Images)

 

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2025 Pro Bowl Games rosters: Jayden Daniels, Sam Darnold headline first-time participants

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2025 Pro Bowl Games rosters: Jayden Daniels, Sam Darnold headline first-time participants

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold and Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers headline the list of first timers for the 2025 Pro Bowl Games, which the league announced Thursday.

The Baltimore Ravens lead all teams with nine Pro Bowl selections, while the Detroit Lions (seven players), Minnesota Vikings (six), Philadelphia Eagles (six), Dallas Cowboys (five) and Kansas City Chiefs (five) each placing at least five players on the roster.

The four teams without anyone making the Pro Bowl’s initial roster are the New York Jets, Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints and Tennessee Titans.

While he hasn’t participated in the Pro Bowl since 2021, as the Chiefs have won the last two Super Bowls, Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes wasn’t selected for the first time in his seven years as a starter.

This year’s Pro Bowl Games will be held in Orlando, Fla., with the skills challenges occurring over two days at separate locations. The first part of the skills competition will happen in the Nicholson Fieldhouse on UCF’s campus on Jan. 30 and air at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. The second part of the event, including the flag football game, will be at Camping World Stadium on Feb. 2. It will air on ESPN and ABC at 3 p.m. ET.

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The NFL added a trivia element to this year’s skills competitions, which include traditional games of dodgeball and tug-of-war. “Passing the test” will have each quarterback answer five trivia questions about other Pro Bowlers from the 2024 season. Correct answers will give passers more time to attempt to hit targets.

Peyton and Eli Manning will coach the AFC and NFC teams again. The NFC defeated the AFC for the second straight year of the Pro Bowl Games in 2024.

Here’s a look at each conference’s initial rosters:

AFC

Offense

*Starter

Quarterback

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  • Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills*
  • Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
  • Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

Running back

  • Derrick Henry, Baltimore Ravens*
  • Joe Mixon, Houston Texans
  • Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts

Fullback

  • Patrick Ricard, Baltimore Ravens*

Wide receiver

  • Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals*
  • Jerry Jeudy, Cleveland Browns*
  • Nico Collins, Houston Texans
  • Zay Flowers, Baltimore Ravens

Tight end

  • Brock Bowers, Las Vegas Raiders*
  • Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs

Offensive tackle

  • Dion Dawkins, Buffalo Bills*
  • Laremy Tunsil, Houston Texans*
  • Rashawn Slater, Los Angeles Chargers

Offensive guard

  • Quenton Nelson, Indianapolis Colts*
  • Joe Thuney, Kansas City Chiefs*
  • Trey Smith, Kansas City Chiefs

Center

  • Creed Humphrey, Kansas City Chiefs*
  • Tyler Linderbaum, Baltimore Ravens

Defense

Defensive end

  • Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns*
  • Trey Hendrickson, Cincinnati Bengals*
  • Maxx Crosby, Las Vegas Raiders

Interior linemen

  • Cameron Heyward, Pittsburgh Steelers*
  • Chris Jones, Kansas City Chiefs*
  • Nnamdi Madubuike, Baltimore Ravens

Outside linebacker

  • Nik Bonitto, Denver Broncos*
  • T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh Steelers*
  • Khalil Mack, Los Angeles Chargers

Inside/middle linebacker

  • Roquan Smith, Baltimore Ravens*
  • Zaire Franklin, Indianapolis Colts

Cornerback

  • Derek Stingley Jr., Houston Texans*
  • Patrick Surtain II, Denver Broncos*
  • Marlon Humphrey, Baltimore Ravens
  • Denzel Ward, Cleveland Browns

Free safety

  • Minkah Fitzpatrick, Pittsburgh Steelers*

Strong safety

  • Kyle Hamilton, Baltimore Ravens*
  • Derwin James, Los Angeles Chargers

Special teams

Long snapper

  • Ross Matiscik, Jacksonville Jaguars*

Punter

  • Logan Cooke, Jacksonville Jaguars*

Kicker

  • Chris Boswell, Pittsburgh Steelers*

Return specialist

  • Marvin Mims Jr., Denver Broncos*

Special teamer

  • Brenden Schooler, New England Patriots*

NFC

Offense

Quarterback

  • Jared Goff, Detroit Lions*
  • Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders
  • Sam Darnold, Minnesota Vikings

Running back

  • Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles*
  • Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions
  • Josh Jacobs, Green Bay Packers

Fullback

  • Kyle Juszczyk, San Francisco 49ers

Wide receiver

  • Justin Jefferson, Minnesota Vikings*
  • Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions*
  • CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys
  • Terry McLaurin, Washington Commanders

Tight end

  • George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers*
  • Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals

Offensive tackle

  • Lane Johnson, Philadelphia Eagles*
  • Penei Sewell, Detroit Lions*
  • Tristan Wirfs, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Offensive guard

  • Landon Dickerson, Philadelphia Eagles*
  • Tyler Smith, Dallas Cowboys*
  • Chris Lindstrom, Atlanta Falcons

Center

  • Frank Ragnow, Detroit Lions*
  • Cam Jurgens, Philadelphia Eagles

Defense

Defensive end

  • Nick Bosa, San Francisco 49ers*
  • Micah Parsons, Dallas Cowboys*
  • Rashan Gary, Green Bay Packers

Interior linemen

  • Jalen Carter, Philadelphia Eagles*
  • Dexter Lawrence, New York Giants*
  • Vita Vea, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Outside linebacker

  • Jonathan Greenard, Minnesota Vikings*
  • Andrew Van Ginkel, Minnesota Vikings*
  • Jared Verse, Los Angeles Rams

Inside/middle linebacker

  • Fred Warner, San Francisco 49ers*
  • Zack Baun, Philadelphia Eagles

Cornerback

  • Jaylon Johnson, Chicago Bears*
  • Byron Murphy, Minnesota Vikings*
  • Jaycee Horn, Carolina Panthers
  • Devon Witherspoon, Seattle Seahawks

Free safety

  • Xavier McKinney, Green Bay Packers*

Strong safety

  • Budda Baker, Arizona Cardinals*
  • Brian Branch, Detroit Lions

Special teams

Long snapper

  • Andrew DePaola, Minnesota Vikings*

Punter

Kicker

  • Brandon Aubrey, Dallas Cowboys*

Return specialist

  • KaVontae Turpin, Dallas Cowboys*

Special teamer

  • KhaDarel Hodge, Atlanta Falcons*

Required reading

(Photo of Jayden Daniels: Lee Coleman / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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The secret behind Xander Schauffele’s career year? ‘I was actually feeling ready to win’

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The secret behind Xander Schauffele’s career year? ‘I was actually feeling ready to win’

Steter Tropfen höhlt den Stein. The German proverb, roughly translated into English, means: Steady dripping caves the stone. It appears in other languages and literary forms, but this iteration stuck with Xander Schauffele as a boy.

It’s the one Schauffele’s father, Stefan, reiterated until it seeped into his vocabulary. From the onset of Schauffele’s relationship with golf, motivational allegories and philosophical adages were fed into his psyche. That’s how his father thinks and speaks. It became how the son thinks and speaks, how Schauffele constructed the mind and game that won two major championships in one summer.

Schauffele’s rise was slow and incremental, steadied by the omnipresent hand of his father, who doubled as his swing coach from pre-junior golf to the PGA Tour.

The nature of Schauffele’s climb was exactly what critics pointed to as the potential downfall of his career. If you were taught to lurk, could you win? If you were bred to embrace being an underdog, would it sting always being in the top 10 but never lifting the trophy?

Schauffele didn’t want to say it then, but he’ll admit it now. Those questions reverberated in his mind as the close calls stacked up, as the PGA Tour wins came but he became a supporting actor in the majors: Always on the leaderboard, never on top of it.

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Then he did it. Twice. In 2024, Schauffele shut down a festering, years-long narrative: He won the PGA and Open Championships, and suddenly went from being the best-not-to-win one to a player two trophies away from a career grand slam.

It was always in his subconscious, but he had to remember. There was supposed to be a process — a steady drip. The question was whether he would persist, and whether he’d believe.

“Maybe there was more self-belief this year than ever. And maybe it took me time to get to that point,” Schauffele says. “Everyone’s supposed to believe in themselves, everyone’s supposed to imagine themselves winning. I think until you truly do that and it’s actually a genuine thing, you won’t really see it through. You can say those words, but for me, I was actually feeling ready to win.”

This counts as revelatory for Schauffele, an admission of something other than resolute strength for a 31-year-old who walks the course with a confident swagger. Unwavering consistency was always what Schauffele intended to be his ticket to the top, and it showed in the progression of his game. If you judge it by advanced statistics, he was already the most consistent player in golf. But in 2024 he made bogey or worse on only 9.4 percent of his holes — setting a new PGA Tour record, eclipsing Tiger Woods’ all-time 2000 season.

“I grew this year, but for the most part I’ve been sort of preparing myself my entire life for those moments,” Schauffele says.

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Stefan could see what was coming before Schauffele. A year ago, celebrating Christmas in San Diego, the father/coach sat down with the son/protege for a one-on-one conversation. End-of-year transitions always feel pivotal to Stefan. Time to take accountability. To craft purpose.

He looked at Schauffele, days before the pair would travel to Hawaii for the 2024 opening tournament, and came forward with a proclamation: “The team is ready for you to win a major.”

Then he stepped away, becoming just dad.


For this next stage of life, Stefan decided to move as far away as possible from his younger son, which is why he finds himself pausing mid-sentence at the sight of a pod of whales breaching in the Pacific Ocean.

Standing on a plot of farmland in Kauai, Hawaii, Stefan is working on building a family compound. The “Ogre,” as he’s known on the PGA Tour, always sporting a fedora, black shades and a linen polo, timed his expedition intentionally.

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For a year and a half, Stefan lived in a 20-foot shipping container with no electricity, hot water or bathroom, away from his wife and Xander’s mother, Ping-Yi, for months at a time. He recently moved onto a second piece of property that includes a real house, so she can visit more often, and a warehouse, so tradesmen can come in and out from Hawaii’s mainland to assist the project.

Stefan is preparing the land to grow tuberous roots, like taro, araimo and satoimo. He’ll plant avocado trees for an oil supply. Everything will be ready for the Schauffeles in two to three years, perfect timing for their grandchildren to play with the animals. Yes, there will be livestock — Shetland ponies and miniature highland cows. Xander and his older brother, Nico, aren’t allowed to see it until it’s done.


Stefan Schauffele, left, held dual roles in Xander’s life: Father and coach. That changed in 2024. (Andrew Redington / Getty Images)

There’s a vision. There’s a process. It began with the decision to step away from being Xander’s coach, a departure he wished had happened sooner. He knew the time would come, when he could no longer serve his son’s needs in his expertise. The question of how to make the transition was harder.

Which is why as Xander lifted his first major championship trophy, Stefan was closer to Tokyo than Louisville, Ky., resigned to watch the moment on television from one of Hawaii’s farthest outlying islands.

“I cannot explain to you how close (Xander and I) are,” he says. “It is stupid. I had to literally do what I’m doing right now in order to create separation.”

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An accomplished decathlete in his prime, Stefan cultivated his son’s competitive drive the only way he knew. “He basically treated me as a young pro from a really young age,” Xander says.

The father viewed golf as a multidisciplinary game, just like his 10-event sport. Stefan took so much pride in his will to win, he used unusual tactics in an effort to bring it out of his son — ones he knew shouldn’t be implemented in most parent-child relationships.

“I had to find ways for Xander to openly oppose me and fight with me, not physically, but oppose me strongly. I worked hard on that, sometimes with unfair methods: I would cheat in ping pong until he got so upset that he started standing up to me at a pretty young age,” Stefan says.

A bond of mutual respect led to persistence becoming part of Xander’s nature. That was the precursor to the father and son’s on-course relationship and to Xander’s trek to the top.

As a boy, Stefan asked his son if he wanted to be like Fred Couples or Tiger Woods. Play the game by feel or study its intricacies? Xander chose the latter. He wanted to know everything about the mechanics of his swing. Stefan would explain the concepts to him, but he had to prove the basis of his knowledge with evidence. Xander acted with the kind of stubbornness that Stefan felt was necessary. In turn, Xander listened to his father’s philosophies about demeanor and body language. It all connected back to a central principle.

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If you are playing alone — Stefan would ask his son — on a golf course in the middle of a forest, and you miss a three-foot putt, are you going to throw a tantrum? “The answer is no. When you do it on TV, it’s all fake. It’s all an act. We cut out all of the acting and the fakeness,” Schauffele said.

“Golf is a long career,” he continued. “You can almost guarantee that anybody that is pretentious will eventually suffer some kind of defeat by his own ego.”


Xander Schauffele’s PGA Championship win made even the stoic Schauffele smile. (Ross Kinnaird / Getty Images)

The same themes were hammered into Xander’s mind through college golf, the Web.com Tour and the PGA Tour.

At the qualifier for the 2017 U.S. Open, a PGA Tour rookie Schauffele was paired with Steve Stricker, the latter vying for a spot in the national championship in his home state, Wisconsin’s Erin Hills. He watched as the 50-year-old put together a string of birdies in the latter half of the 36-hole day, turning a slow start into a highlight reel. It was the perfect microcosm of the old German proverb. Stefan’s lurk-in-the-shadows strategy had come to life. Schauffele was just finally seeing it for himself.

Schauffele qualified for that U.S. Open too, resulting in a tie for fifth place in his first major start. Three weeks later, he won his first PGA Tour event.

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“Stricker didn’t panic when things weren’t going his way. He stayed the course, and all of sudden rattled off eight or nine birdies and he was leading the tournament. Where did that come from? For me, my career doesn’t feel too dissimilar from that sort of mentality,” Schauffele says.


Schauffele was never “the guy.” He’s one of 16 players to win The Open and another major in one year, and he still isn’t. When his peers were asked to name the PGA Tour Player of the Year, 91 percent said Scottie Scheffler.

A phenomenal year by anyone’s standards has somehow still left him steeped in a shadow, cast by the potentially generational talent, Scheffler.

But Schauffele’s game wasn’t designed for him to be “the guy.” Persistence means evolution. And evolution isn’t always flashy.

When Schauffele seemed to be stuck as the player always hanging around the top five on a leaderboard, he could have stopped there. Instead, he continued to push, as he has always been taught to do.

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Sometimes that push — the art of never being satisfied — requires tough decisions. At the end of 2023, the Schauffeles hired Chris Como, a leading professional golf instructor, to the inner circle that from the outside looked like it could never be cracked. A personal trainer, David Sundberg, and a physiotherapist, Marnus Marais, came on board too. Stefan backed away. He retreated, literally, into the jungle.

In 2024, Schauffele’s new team and improved process helped him gain 10 yards off the tee, meaning shorter iron shots, more birdies, and in turn, the big wins. But really, Schauffele could keep things rolling until that epiphany. That’s what got him there.

“When you’re so close, it’s such a finite thing. You’re trying to improve by a quarter of a shot in a certain part of your game,” Schauffele says. “It doesn’t seem like much on paper, but it could do the world of difference over the course of a year.”

Schauffele’s missing self-belief was found in his process.

“I think mentally, dealing with everything that led up to this year — failing and failing and having everyone say you’re potentially one of the best to have never won a major, at least in this modern era, all those things finally were just kind of put to rest,” Schauffele says.

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Now he’s entering new territory. The Schauffeles evaluate progress with a year-over-year eye. Since first emerging on tour in 2017, Schauffele has rarely regressed in the official world golf rankings. He’s essentially maintained or improved his position, steadily. But now he’s No. 2.

Heading into The Sentry, the opening event of the 2025 PGA Tour season at Kapalua, Hawaii, this week as the second-best player in the world, Schauffele has an opportunity. Eighty-four weeks into a world No. 1 streak that has put Scheffler on a seemingly unreachable peak, he is out with an injured hand. Stefan will be lingering close to his son in Hawaii, taking a break from his Kauai camp to temporarily fill in as Schauffele’s manager. But as intended, the relationship is different. Schauffele is playing the best golf of his life. He’s in control.

“It’s crazy. I’m super fired up to go practice. I’m super fired up to go see my trainer. I’m super fired up to get to Hawaii,” Schauffele says. “I think it’s my eighth or ninth year on tour. And I’m still feeling that way.”

If there was ever a time to carry on, it’s now. Schauffele is ready for it. He is ready to keep caving the stone.

(Illustration: Dan Goldfarb / The Athletic; Photos: Ben Jared / PGA Tour, Tom Shaw / R&A via Getty Images)

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