Xander Schauffele (San Diego, 1993) is no longer “the best golfer in the world without a great.” On Sunday he left the club through the big door, winning the PGA Championship in Valhalla (Kentucky) signing the lowest result in the centenary history of the Grand Slams (-21). The almost entire Schauffele clan accompanied him for much of the week. His wife Maya, whom he met at the University of San Diego, who almost fainted from emotion in the middle of a photo session with the trophy. His brother Nico, who has been an amateur cook in the house rented for the occasion, basing his diet on Italian cuisine. And, of course, Chewie and Momo, the two dogs that complete Xander and Maya’s family. But not everyone was there. There were two important absences: that of his mother, Cheng Pin-Yi, and, especially, that of his father, Stefan.
At the Schauffele house, the mix of cultures is one of those that makes time, and Xander’s face is good proof of this. His father is German, from Stuttgart, but his mother is French. His mother is Taiwanese, although raised in Japan. His great-grandfather played for the Austrian soccer team. His brother was also born in Germany. And Xander is the only one in the family born on American soil. And if there has been a key figure in his career, it has been his father, nicknamed in golfing circles as The Ogre for his irascible character and for his mysterious and somewhat threatening appearance, almost always dressed in sunglasses and a baseball cap. straw. “I know they call him that, but deep down he is a teddy bear, I had to hang up on him because he was crying inconsolably,” joked the PGA champion, who after signing the card and greeting everyone who crossed his path , found time to call his father, his mentor and swing coach since he picked up a club – a position he has shared with Chris Como since last year – before the awards ceremony.
Schauffele also has a reputation for being serious because that is what he transmits while playing. That’s how Stefan taught him since he was little. “Commit, execute and accept.” Germanic instructions. And his concentration is always at its maximum during tournaments. But until now, although he had won seven times – the last the Scottish Open in July 2022 – and had even won Olympic gold in Tokyo, victories in the majors always eluded him. He had been second twice and had 12 top tens in the majors. “A steady drip ends up breaking the stone,” his father had written to him in German on Saturday night from Hawaii, where a huge farm is being built to receive visits from the whole family. Xander had to ask him for the translation before it sunk in. A few hours later, with a spectacular 65, including a decisive birdie on the 18th hole, the stone broke and the Wannamaker Trophy headed to San Diego.
