Photo by the toilet sums up my season says Xander Schauffele

Schauffele is playing at the Scottish Open in preparation for the defence of his Claret Jug and a large photo of him is up by the men’s toilets in the media centre

Xander Schauffele joked about his photo being up by the toilets in the media centre at the Scottish Open (PA)

Reigning Open champion Xander Schauffele says a photo of him posted on the wall by the media centre toilet for this week’s Scottish Open is symbolic of his 2025 campaign.

Last year could hardly have gone better for the man from San Diego. He’d arrived for the Scottish Open as a major champion, having won the US PGA title just a couple of months earlier and he would soon lift one of golf’s most iconic prizes, the Claret Jug as Open champion.

The 31-year-old finished in the top 25 in 20 of the 22 events he entered last year but 2025 has been a different story. Having suffered a rib injury at the start of the year, he’s been unable to get his body to rediscover the swing path that enabled such recent success and he’s made just one top 10 this season.

Trying to see the funny side of the unfortunately-placed image at the Renaissance Club , he joked: “It was nice to see my photo out by the toilet. That was heartwarming. It summed up how I feel about what's going on right now.

“The way I was moving the club last year was still new, and the bad place I got the club to this year was new.

“I've hit a lot of bad shots from a certain place but it was home for me. I've been playing from that, call it short and laid off and shut.”

Xander Schauffele will defend his Claret Jug at The Open at Royal Portrush next week (Getty)

His struggles to recapture the fluency with which he played have been evident. He’s been unable to pinpoint the precise issue within his swing, meaning there have been adjustments to adjustments. Such things can become mental negatives but he’s trying to stay positive ahead of his Open defence, which takes place at Royal Portrush, starting on 17 July.

Prior to that, he’d like a good start in his quest for a second Scottish Open title: “What would make me really happy is that I can just play freely,” he added.

"I think the obstacles of trying to play really good golf and then playing bad golf and then just fiddling all day long is really what drives me nuts.

"It's why we love the game but it's what's driving me crazy. So if I can just get out of my own way, that would be the thing that would make me happiest right now, more than even winning a tournament.

"If I can play 72 holes without fiddling with my golf swing this week, that would be a massive win, and wherever I finish, I finish. That would be a good place for me to get to before I play next week."