Xander Schauffele reveals Rory McIlroy 'p---ed me off'

Xander Schauffele may be gearing up for the conclusion of the PGA Tour season but he can't stop thinking about the Olympic Games. 

Schauffele was the defending champion at Le Golf National but left Paris without a medal after finishing just inside the top-10. 

The American felt as though he would have been more of a factor for the gold, considering he came into the tournament having won the PGA Championship and The Open. 

Schauffele told reporters before the FedEx St. Jude Championship he chalked up the performance at the Games as part and parcel of being a professional golfer.  

In other words, you're not always going to have it. 

That being said, he was still 'pretty bummed out'. 

"I went from thinking I could have a good look at gold to maybe silver, then to bronze, and then to, wow, I'm just spectating now," Schauffele told reporters at TPC Southwind. 

"That's sort of what happened the last seven, eight holes of that tournament. 

"So that was a bit of a bummer, especially with how the fans were out there. 

"It must have been such a cool feeling to be in the hunt with important shots coming down that stretch, 15 to 18."

Schauffele stuck around to watch his teammate Scottie Scheffler pip Tommy Fleetwood to the gold. 

Scheffler surprised himself as he burst into tears on the podium. 

Schauffele also had mixed feelings as The Star-Spangled Banner was played. 

Schauffele said: "It's weird; I'm not going to lie. It's the weirdest feeling. 

"I was watching from the sort of family section, the podium, and when Scottie was up there and our flag was raised and he started crying up there, I was butt-hurt about my own round, and then I was sitting there like, yeah, this is pretty cool.

"I'd like to think I'm not -- I can be rational most times, but I felt so emotional in that state to where I was butt-hurt about how I played and then sorta proud and happy that Scottie won it. 

"It's such a -- it's hard to explain, the swing of it. Then [I am] out here this week [and] playing with him these next two days and we're all just trying to beat our heads in. It's a funny feeling.

Schauffele said that he perhaps ran out of gas before arriving in Paris. 

"I was probably more tired than I thought I was," he added. 

"That really p---ed me off"

Schauffele has never been crowned the FedExCup champion. 

Rory McIlroy has won it three times. 

Scheffler currently leads the way with Schauffele in second. 

The PGA Tour's season finale will be played at East Lake. 

The Tour Championship is typically played in scorching hot weather. 

Part of Schauffele's job, he explained, is being able to deal with the 'leaps in heat and altitude' as they travel the globe. 

"I remember Rory has won the FedExCup so many times now, and I remember a few times when it was really hot in East Lake I was playing with him and I felt so overheated at times, and that really p---ed me off," he said. 

"And he was just kind of cruising through, and I was like, man, this guy is in much better shape than I am.

"So it was something I really tried to work on [in the offseason] to get in a little bit better cardio shape so I'm not feeling like I'm going to explode at East Lake." 

Schauffele has been handed a 1.45pm EDT tee time alongside the aforementioned Scheffler on Thursday. 

McIlroy is out at 10.45am alongside Collin Morikawa. 

Watched our latest YouTube video?