Xander Schauffele was paired alongside Scottie Scheffler on day three of the PGA Championship at Aronimink on Saturday.
Schauffele ended day three at three-under par for the tournament following a third-round 66 while Fowler posted a 68 to finish at one-under par ahead of the final round of the PGA Championship.
Both players were clearly in very good form to kick off the weekend on moving day at Aronimink.
Schauffele looked much like his old self as he breezed around Aronimink in 66 strokes on Saturday at the PGA Championship.
And while Fowler would’ve loved one or two more birdies, he is still nicely placed after three rounds.
Schauffele said the greens at Aronimink were diabolical ahead of the PGA, and he has definitely been proven right so far.
Xander Schauffele comments on Rickie Fowler’s pace of play at the PGA
Schauffele made huge improvements on Saturday after he struggled to a round of 73 on Friday at Aronimink.
The 32-year-old from San Diego, California, swung the club beautifully and he never looked to be in any real danger throughout his round.
Schauffele responded when asked by reporters what the energy was like in his group while playing alongside Fowler.
“Yeah, I mean, on Saturday you’re just chasing,” the American said.
“It was awesome playing Rickie. He plays really fast and very positive. Just gotten to know him a little bit better in Jupiter, so incredible pairing there on a Saturday.
“He played great, too, didn’t make a bogey. So it was nice playing with a guy who made two birdies and all pars is usually a nice thing to watch.
“So all good here on a Saturday. Yeah, definitely, nice to be back in touch in a major.“
Xander Schauffele on the pressure of contending at a major
Schauffele was asked how comfortable he felt under pressure at a major championship, having not been in contention for quite some time now.
“Yeah. I mean, I think if you can control your ball and hit certain shots, it will definitely give you that confidence,“ he replied.
“But no matter how great of golf you’re playing, you’ll see anyone slip up at certain moments. The best always seem to collect themselves in the toughest moments.
“When you’re watching TV or any sport, you can kind of tell like, okay, like they’ve settled the ship. And early on, I felt like there were times where 9 or 12 holes would pass, and I’m like holy smokes, I’m like 5-over par, like the whole what is happening thing.
“So, yeah, I’d call those growing pains. Everyone goes through them. Everyone deals with it at multiple times in your career, at any moment in your career, and the more veteran guys are supposed to be the ones that can kind of correct it as soon as possible.“