Xander Schauffele: 6 words from my dad I never forgot

My dad always used to say, "A steady drip caves the stone." This little phrase fits how I want to manage my career—and I think it will help you with your golf. The “steady drip” concept to me means if you put in the effort, little by little, everything is doable. Big goals are awesome, but you can only work on the day-to-day stuff.

My performance coach, Ara Suppiah, asked me in our first meeting several years ago: What do you want to do? Simple idea but exactly what I needed to hear. I told him it was the career Grand Slam and getting to World No. 1. It seemed far off at the time, but I’ve got a couple of majors now, and I’m chasing Scottie and Rory. I have my team in place, and I love the process I’m following.

Maybe your goal is to break 90 or add 20 yards off the tee. Whatever it is, take a first step and get going, whether that’s keeping detailed stats or finding a local swing coach or assessing your fitness. You’ve got to get to the starting line to run the marathon. The steady drip applies to individual rounds, too. Last year in the final round at the Open Championship, I knew the back nine was going to be tough. Everyone was talking about how brutal No. 11 at Royal Troon was, with the railway down the right and gorse on the left. I was fortunate to stick my approach close and make birdie there, which gave me a huge lift. After that, I knew if I could take it shot by shot, it was mine to win.

I birdied three of the last six to finish off the best golf week of my life. —With Peter Morrice

We'll be adding more of Xander Schauffele's best tips & tactics throughout the rest of the week. Check back in for more …

Xander's Best Instruction Tips: Prep for Golf / 'Commit, Execute, Accept' / Neutral Swing / Uncomfortable Shots / Putting Practice / 'A Steady Drip'