The fact that reigning Open Champion Xander Schauffele is using toilet humour to describe his golf game at the moment is, he insists, a pretty accurate gauge of performances. But at least he’s seeing the funny side of it. Schauffele is just one of the Major winners teeing up in the Genesis Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club this week. A winner here in 2022, the American – full of jokes about his Claret Jug triumph turning him to drink – couldn’t help but notice the location of his champion’s poster on the course. “It was nice to see my photo out by the toilet,” he said, with a laugh. “That was heart-warming. Summed up how I feel about what's going on right now. I actually chuckled when I saw that one. “I really just want to play good golf. I mean, I'm pretty content with myself. What would make me really happy is that I can just play freely. “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. That would just be the result.” Performance at the very top end of the game is all relative, of course. Only one top-ten finish this season isn’t awful, by most people’s standards – but it’s a hell of a drop-off for a guy who won the PGA Championship before being crowned Champion Golfer of the Year at Royal Troon last summer. Going from two Majors in a single year to not really competing for the top prizes feels like a comedown. Schauffele, asked how his life had changed since his career-defining victory at Troon, in particular, grinned as he said: “I drank a little bit more than I normally do, that was probably the biggest change that I had in my life was trending towards an alcoholic. It's been awesome. “It’s been a weird year for me just from coming off the year I had last year. So any expectation I had of whatever I thought I was capable of doing, you know, from a feel standpoint last year, has been sort of reset and I am in full chase mode, like a kid. “I don't feel too stressed. I'm very upset with how I've been playing. I've just really taken on this mindset of I looked at sort of how I would behave when things are going really well. “You know, there's no need to be bipolar. Just make it as genuine as possible. If I'm shooting 80, I really don't want anyone to look at me on the course and be like, that kid's shooting 80. Doesn't matter. “I don't care if guys get mad or sad or smash clubs or whatever. This is just a me thing. I know when I'm playing really well, I behave a certain way and my mind in a certain place. I've just trying to rinse and repeat and plug myself in that position. “I’m just trying get into some sort of contention to try and feel something again, other than upset. I think I've just been angry-ish. That's like been the biggest emotion of this is frustrating, versus why we love playing to be in contention and kind of see what you can do. “But you know that part's been humbling. So you know, it's a battle, and I'm going to try and win it.”