Xander Schauffele Narrowly Misses Hole-In-One While Blindfolded

Hyland/Xander Schauffele—Twitter

If you’ve ever played—or, perhaps more appropriately, subjected yourself to—the game of golf, you’re likely very aware achieving the fundamental goal of “getting a ball into a hole in the fewest strokes possible” is much, much easier said than done.

That reality is part of what makes watching professional golf so appealing, as seeing the best players in the world navigate some of the most challenging courses on the planet with breathtaking ease is truly a sight to behold if you struggle to avoid a double bogey (or worse) on a typical par 3.

The internet is filled with videos that prove guys who make a living on the PGA Tour boast a level of talent most hackers can only dream of—like this clip of Seamus Power bogeying a 667-yard par 5 on the Plantation Course at Kapalua using nothing but a putter.

However, I’m not sure if I’ve seen anything more ridiculous than what Xander Schauffele was recently able to achieve while making a notoriously difficult game even harder for himself.

Like most professional athletes, Schauffele went to great lengths to master the sport he managed to turn into a career; when he was a kid, his dad had him hit shots while blindfolded while practicing in order to improve his balance.

That method served as the inspiration for a recent stunt dubbed the “Hyland X Vision Challenge” where he donned a blindfold before taking on a 105-yar par 3.

It took Schauffele nine strokes to find the hole while flying solo on his first try. However, he got a shot at redemption on the second attempt where his dad helped him line up his approach—and it’s safe to say he took full advantage when you consider he came inches away from drilling a hole-in-one before sinking a short putt for birdie.

PGA Tour players are just built different.