Major winner Alexander Victor Schauffele, known as Xander on the PGA Tour, comes from a family with rich sporting heritage.
His father, a German-French immigrant, was his first and only swing coach, whilst his great-grandfathers were both soccer players in Germany, and one of them also represented his country in track and field.
Schauffele's father has constructed a superb swing which allows his son to be ranked among the purest ball-strikers in the game.
He is also long and whilst he has earned the respect of his peers, and proved himself consistent at the highest level, he has never garnered a great deal of attention from the wider public.
Part of the famous graduating 'class' of 2011 that also includes Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, and Daniel Berger.
Unlike the stars of his generation, Schauffele spent a full four years at university, graduating with a degree in social sciences.
He was a decorated collegiate golfer for San Diego State University after transferring from Long Beach State in his sophomore year.
Schauffele's biggest wins to date are the 2017 Tour Championship, the 2018 WGC-HSBC Champions and the 2019 Sentry Tournament of Champions.
Schauffele had an impressive 2022, winning the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, the Travelers Championship and the Scottish Open.
After several near misses, the 2020 Olympic gold medalist won the US PGA Championship in May 2024 his maiden major title and then doubled up with the Open Championship in July of the same year.
Amateur career
In his senior year at Scripps Ranch High School, Schauffele won the individual California State High School Championship.
After graduating, he went on to Long Beach State University for his freshman year, catching the eye of scouts with a 2012 season that saw him named Big West Conference Freshman of the Year and First Team All-Big West.
He would transfer to San Diego State after his freshman year and spent three years at the campus. An excellent student, Schauffele won the Mountain West Conference All-Academic Team Award twice during his stint at the school.
Schauffele holds a number of school records including all-time lowest tournament score against par (-17) and all-time career scoring average (71.50).
Over his four-year college career, Schauffele played in exactly 50 events, recording top-10 finishes in 27 and winning three times.
Turning pro
Schauffele's first move in the pro ranks was to earn a Web.com Tour card and in his first season he didn't earn graduation through the regular season, but made up for it with a fine performance at the Tour Finals.
He struggled for much of his rookie campaign on the PGA Tour in 2016-17 but the season burst into life with tied fifth at the US Open, a result that hinted at his future success at Major Championship level and also set him up for a breakthrough a few weeks later.
He carded four rounds in the 60s for a first time on the PGA Tour at the Greenbrier Classic, enough to claim a first win, and a strong effort in the FedExCup Playoffs which followed saw him sneak into the Tour Championship.
Taking on the cream of the PGA Tour crop, Schauffele vaulted himself into world-class consideration with a week of superb golf and birdie at the 72nd hole confirmed a one-stroke victory over Justin Thomas.
He became the first rookie to ever win the Tour Championship.
On the back of that terrific performance, he also became the fourth member of that 'class' of 2011 to claim PGA Tour Rookie of the Year honors after Jordan Spieth (2013), Daniel Berger (2015) and Emiliano Grillo (2016).
Olympic gold
Schauffele ended a two-year win drought by taking victory in the men's Olympic golf tournament in Japan in the summer of 2021.
In a tense finish, the Californian got up and down for par at the last to shoot 18-under and score a one-shot victory over Rory Sabbatini.
Given his family connections to Japan and father's heartbreak at missing the 1988 Games in Seoul after being in a car accident, the victory had extra resonance.
Schauffele claims his first Major
Schauffele set a high bar for himself with that Major Championship debut and he has maintained the pace.
Indeed, he finished top six in his first four starts at the US Open and made the top 20 at the PGA Championship in both 2019 and 2020.
He finished T20th on debut in the 2017 British Open and was in a tie for third the following year at Carnoustie.
Playing his second Masters in 2019 he found himself in another fourth-round scramble.
Two shots off the lead at the start of the day, Schauffele held a share of the lead on the back nine. However, while he made par at each of his final four holes, Tiger Woods birdied 15 and 16 which would help the legend clinch a famous win.
In the 2021 Masters he played in the last group of the final round alongside the 54 hole leader Hideki Matsuyama. He recovered from a poor start, but not sufficiently to mount a sustained challenge - he finished tied third.
He was tied for 10th at the US Open and Masters in 2023, and finished 8th in the same tournament the following year.
He answered questions about his ability to close out tournaments in emphatic fashion with a wire-to-wire victory in the 2024 US PGA Championship.
Schauffele carded a final round of 65 at Valhalla to hold off the challenges of Bryson DeChambeau and Viktor Hovland to secure a maiden major title.
The Olympic champion held his nerve to birdie the 72nd hole for a winning total of 21 under par, the lowest score in relation to par in major championship history.
Schauffele lands the Open Championship
Schauffele admitted it was a “dream come true” after winning his second major title in quick succession in the 152nd Open in July 2024, to complete an American clean sweep of the game’s biggest titles.
Schauffele carded a flawless closing 65 at Royal Troon to finish nine under par, two shots clear of overnight leader Billy Horschel and Justin Rose, who had threatened to become the first English winner of the Claret Jug since 1992.
South Africa’s Thriston Lawrence, who held the lead after 11 holes of the final round, finished a shot further back in fourth following a 68.
“I just can’t wait to drink out of it,” Schauffele said as he cradled the Claret Jug. “It really is a dream come true to be holding this.
“It means a lot, it’s something all of us play for. It definitely hasn’t sunk in yet and I can’t wait to sit back and have a moment with this Claret Jug.”
Schauffele is the first player to win two majors in a year since Brooks Koepka in 2018.
The world number three is also the seventh American winner in the last eight Opens at Royal Troon – Sweden’s Henrik Stenson having denied Phil Mickelson in a thrilling duel in 2016 – and will head to Paris to defend his Olympic title in brilliant form.
Schauffele, who has now finished no worse than 18th in his last 10 starts, was eighth in the Masters and seventh in the US Open either side of his US PGA triumph, where he birdied the 72nd hole to edge out Bryson DeChambeau by a shot.
“I thought it would help me and it did, I had this sense of calm that I didn’t have playing the PGA,” Schauffele added.
“I said to my caddie Austin (Kaiser) I felt calm on the 18th tee and he said he felt like he was about to puke.”
Xander Schauffele's personal life
Both of Schauffele's parents are immigrants who are naturalized US citizens. His father was from Germany and of mixed French and German extraction. His mother was born in Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) and grew up in Japan.
His father Stefan was an accomplished athlete whose career was cut short when he was struck by a drunk driver, causing extensive injuries and leaving him blind in one eye.
Stefan was more than just Xander's father, he was his coach and a hard-nosed one at that, instilling a mental toughness in his son from an early age.
Schauffele has been dating Maya Lowe since 2014 and they married in 2021. The couple met while at university in San Diego, although they attended different colleges.
Lowe still resides in San Diego but has been seen accompanying her beaux at PGA Tour events on occasion.
Xander Schauffele's net worth
Schauffele's net worth has been estimated to be $33million, largely bolstered by PGA Tour winnings and lucrative sponsorships.
In 2018, he jumped ship from being a TaylorMade athlete to becoming one of the Tour's many Callaway staffers. He is also kitted out by Adidas and luxury watchmaker Audemars Piguet.
Schauffele is also sponsored by software company Hyland and insurance providers Aon.
