Xander Schauffele's PGA Championship title defence finally found a gear on Saturday at Aronimink, the world's defending major winner posting a 4-under 66 on moving day to inject himself back into the conversation for a second consecutive Wanamaker Trophy.
The 66 followed two opening rounds in which Schauffele freely admitted he was playing 'really bad golf' on a course where Aronimink's diabolical pin sheets had already taken a toll on most of the field.
'I thought I played really good golf today,' Schauffele told reporters afterwards. 'A lot better than yesterday for sure. So nice to move on moving day.'
The 31-year-old Californian credited a late-night range session on Friday with swing coach Chris Como with finding the fix. Schauffele described his bad tendencies through the first 36 holes in unusually specific terms.
Asked what he was actually doing wrong, he was candid.
'My tendencies are to get really shut and get really underneath and start to tip back and slash at it,' Schauffele explained. 'And man, is it hard to play good golf, you know, and hit your number when you need to. Overall, I thought I gave myself a better chance moving the club a little bit better today versus yesterday or even the first day.'
Despite the climb up the leaderboard, Schauffele was quick to caution that the championship is anything but settled. With Aronimink yielding low scores at times and brutal moments at others, he sees a wide-open final 36 holes.
'I was pretty aware that today and tomorrow, I call it an absolute free-for-all, you know what I mean?' he said. 'Just with the way the course plays. Someone early goes and shoots something six, seven under, they might have a chance to win the whole thing, depending on how hot and windy it gets later in the day.'
'It was awesome playing with Ricky,' he said. 'He plays really fast and very positive, and I'd gotten to know him a little bit better in Jupiter. Incredible pairing there on a Saturday. He played great too. Didn't make a bogey. It was nice playing with a guy who just made two birdies and all pars is usually a nice thing to watch.'
The defending champion also conceded that being back in major contention felt different after a winless stretch on the biggest stages.
'On Saturday you're just chasing,' he said. 'It's definitely nice to be back in touch on the major.'
Asked whether the experience of winning two majors made the chase feel different now compared to before his 2024 breakthrough, Schauffele was matter-of-fact.
With Aronimink's pin positions softening just slightly and the field bunched, Schauffele goes into the final round trusting a swing that, by his own admission, was nowhere on Thursday and Friday but suddenly looks tournament-ready again.