DUBLIN, Ireland (AFP)

— Xander Schauffele, coming off his first major triumph at last month’s PGA Championship, sees his game at a high level as he prepares to defend his Olympic title in Paris.

Schauffele returns to competition in Thursday’s first round of the PGA Memorial tournament at Muirfield Village, the final PGA Tour tune-up for next week’s US Open at Pinehurst.

World No. 2 Schauffele sank a clutch birdie putt on the final hole to edge fellow American Bryson DeChambeau last month at Valhalla by one stroke and snap a two-year win drought.

While Schauffele isn’t getting a swollen ego over the triumph, he does see that his game has reached a level comparable to world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, who won the Masters in April, and four-time major champion Rory McIlroy, ranked third in the world.

‘I think it’s shaping up nice and people are wanting to compete in it and it’s going to be a great tournament.’

“Winning a tournament is just truly a result,” he said.

“What separates guys out here is the ability for them to hit certain shots. When you look at someone like Scottie or Rory or you just run through all the top players, when they’re playing at a really high level, they separate themselves from the field.”

“I feel like I’ve entered a little bit more of that space just playing. I feel like my game has definitely become a little bit more elite.”

“It doesn’t really change how I feel about myself or anything like that. I think the quality of shots you’re able to hit is what determines that.”

The major win ensured Schauffele will be on the US squad to compete for gold in France later this summer, in what figures to be a much-different atmosphere compared to the pandemic-guarded situation in Tokyo three years ago.

“It was an unbelievable experience and I think we might feel more of it this year, just with people being available to attend without it being Covid,” Schauffele said on Tuesday.

“I think it’s shaping up nice and people are wanting to compete in it and it’s going to be a great tournament.”

It will always have special meaning for Schauffele because his triumph in Japan made real a family dream of his German-born father Stefan after Xander’s grandfathers had been stars in athletics and football.