By Chuah Choo Chiang
For all the early success that Xander Schauffele has achieved in his burgeoning career, the 25-year-old American has kept his feet firmly on the ground and hands on the same old steering wheel of a Japanese-made car which he hopes will keep him on the right side of the road to stardom.
Schauffele, who is of mixed Asian and German heritage, is among a new breed of rising stars making a name for himself in the world golf order, proving he can win on the biggest stage where three of his four PGA Tour titles were against stacked fields at the TOUR Championship in Atlanta, Sentry Tournament of Champions in Hawaii and World Golf Championships (WGC)-HSBC Champions in Shanghai, a title he will defend in October.
Throw in three top-3 finishes in six recent major championships appearances, plus a career-high second-place finish in the FedEx Cup recently, the San Diego resident has shown he truly belongs in the elite club of golfers.
With nearly $14 million in prize winnings accumulated since his breakout season in 2017, Schauffele shuns from the limelight and puts full focus on his golf and family life. And unlike other sporting stars who may reward or spoil themselves with fancy cars and fancy boys’ toys, he has kept his old faithful Japanese automobile parked in his home garage as a reminder of where he had come from.
“It reminds me of my roots,” said Schauffele of his choice of transportation.
“I had it when I was on the Web.com Tour [now Korn Ferry Tour] and I have not gotten around to getting a nicer car. I bought it for 13 grand, so I figured that’s a smart move. I know I’ll have a nicer car in the future but for now, it seems to be working.”
What has worked particularly well in the meteoric rise of Schauffele and Team X, an identity coined by father and Coach Stefan, is an in-built work ethic, discipline and determination that characterize his approach to life and the game. It short, it epitomizes his family cultural heritage.
His father, Stefan, is a German-French immigrant who had aspired to be an Olympic decathlete before a car accident shattered his dreams. The name “Schauffele” literally translates to “man with a small shovel” and Xander has shown he is not afraid of hard work to get to the top of the hill. Mother, Ping Yi, was born in Chinese Taipei, grew up in Japan and met Stefan during college in the United States She provides the stability in the family which includes older brother Nico, says Xander.
“Dad is a disciplinarian,” said Schauffele, who is part of the Tiger Woods-led US Team in the Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne, Australia, in December. “He showed me that hard work is the ultimate key. If you want to do anything, you have to work your ass off. Mom [Ping Yi] is the calming influence.”
As a child, Schauffele’s first sporting involvement was football, or soccer as it is called in America, before Stefan taught his youngest son how to play golf when he was nine. The boy gave up football as he did not like leaving the fate of matches in the hands of his teammates. He then started dreaming of becoming a PGA Tour professional.
He developed into a decent amateur golfer, accumulating a collegiate record of three wins, four second-place finishes and 19 top 25s. He was top 10 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking before turning professional in 2015, where he got into the Korn Ferry Tour, the pathway to the PGA Tour.
While he is sneaky long with his driver—Schauffele has consistently ranked in the top 20 in driving distance—he often beats others by using his brains. “I always felt like I was mentally tougher than the others,” said Schauffele, who graduated from San Diego State University.
“I was never one who was noticed as I wasn’t winning a whole lot. I was kind of solid. Getting onto the Web.com Tour was a big confidence booster and once I won the Greenbrier in 2017 [for his first PGA Tour win], I knew I was good enough to be out here.”
His four career wins, thus, far have been come-from-behind victories, a fact not lost on Schauffele who still regards himself as an underdog in the game. When he won the WGC-HSBC Champions, he came from three back to beat Tony Finau in a playoff and in Hawaii, he shot a stunning final-round 11-under 62 to overturn a five-shot deficit for his success.
“The playoff with Tony, that was the biggest memory. Just the excitement of being in a playoff, the fans, and the celebration was incredible on the 18th green,” he said. “Winning is the ultimate satisfaction on the PGA Tour. You work at your craft and winning is the ultimate prize. Winning from behind is interesting. It fits my character, fits my junior career, my college career, even my early pro career. I’ve always come from behind and something I’ve always been comfortable in that position,” he said.
“I still feel like an underdog although mentally, it’s slowly changing. I’m top 10 in the world because I’ve stacked up some good events recently. This is all still new to me, there are so many big names out there. I don’t think my name, even personally, is there yet, you know I don’t think I’ve done enough yet to be considered a top dog.”
Asian fans will likely see plenty of Schauffele during the PGA Tour’s Asian swing in October which comprises THE CJ CUP at Nine Bridges in Korea, Zozo Championship in Japan and WGC-HSBC Champions in China. At the time of writing, he has committed to his title defense in Shanghai.
Note: Chuah Choo Chiang is senior director, communications of the PGA Tour and is based in Kuala Lumpur.