Yahoo Sports Xander Schauffele Is Ready to Defend His Olympic Gold
Xander Schauffele is having an exceptional year—and he's hoping that good fortune continues in Paris this week.
The 30-year-old pro golfer, who grew up in San Diego, won his first major championship on the PGA Tour this past May, and followed it up by winning the British Open in July. "I had to become very patient not having knocked off any wins in the last couple of years before this first major," he tells Town & Country. "It's just awesome and I’m feeling incredibly excited and motivated heading into the Paris Olympics."
Schauffele, the son of Chen Ping-Yi, a Taiwanese woman who grew up in Japan, and Stefan Schauffele, and a French-German athlete who almost competed in the Olympics himself, is proud of what it means, as the son of immigrants, play for Team USA. "It's a great honor," he says, "to represent my country on an international stage and to have an opportunity to earn another Olympic medal in Paris this summer."
Ahead of the Olympic men's golf tournament (which begins tomorrow, August 1), Schauffele chatted with T&C about what it feels like to go back to the Olympics, the pressures of defending his gold, and what he's looking forward to about Paris.
Do you feel pressure to defend your gold medal?
First and foremost, my main goal, obviously, was to qualify and have the opportunity to defend my medal. The U.S. team is such a strong one, full of talent, and hard to qualify for. After winning the PGA Championship, I knew my spot was secure for the Olympics. Of course I feel the pressure and the Olympics is a whole different ball game, but I'm relishing the opportunity to go out there and defend it. I’ll definitely be able to pull some confidence from my major victory and my last trip to the Olympics in Tokyo.
After you won in Tokyo, you spoke about your father’s Olympic dreams. Tell me about what winning meant to you, and to him.
So my father, growing up, put all his eggs in one basket for quite some time to train and compete as a decathlete in the Olympics for Germany. He was a hopeful and was living and breathing track and field. Next thing you know, life came at him fast, and it was all taken away from him when he was hit head-on by a drunk driver on his way home from training. Fast forward to me and golf, he saw that same potential and so he [again] put all his eggs in one basket. So for this to come full circle, with my gold medal victory in Tokyo was truly special. I just feel very fortunate and really happy to have shared this special moment with him. I just remember thinking of him as soon as I made the final putt and I knew he was going to be there crying when I walked off the green.
What does it mean to you to represent Team USA, particularly as the son of immigrants?
It’s always an honor to represent your country in any given tournament or event, so it was a really cool thing I was able to share with my family after winning the gold medal in Tokyo. My grandparents have been living in Tokyo for many decades. They always support me and it was special to be able to win a gold also for them.
This time around, the Olympics are in Paris and my dad is half-French and half-German so it’s really just another cool opportunity for me to compete for a medal in a country that’s a part of my parent's heritage. Being the only natural-born United States citizen in my family, I think that being very international and growing up in a European and Asian household taught me a lot about different cultures, and it has made me aware, understand, and respect different cultures.
What did you learn from your first Olympic experience? Are you going to do anything differently this time around?
It’s special. That’s a word thrown around a lot, especially for us golfers. It’s so different for us; we’re used to playing for money, and we play a normal tour schedule each year. This is only every four years, and it’s just kind of a different feel to it. You’re wearing your country’s colors, and everyone’s trying to represent it to the best of their ability.
Another thing I learned from my experience in Tokyo after winning was that nothing can prepare you for the emotions and feelings as they all hit you on that podium when you're up there holding the medal around your neck and listening to the national anthem. That whole week in Tokyo, I was just trying so hard to stay calm and collected. I inevitably hit a few errant shots and had to really focus to make pars and hit it close enough to sort of have a high percentage putt at roughly four, or five feet and keep myself in contention. But, man, it was stressful. When I made that final putt, it was just a huge weight lifted off my shoulders, and I was very relieved and happy. This time around I have that prior experience and my major victory to rely on and keep me focused and in the hunt.
Have you ever played at L'Albatros course? What are you anticipating about the course?
No, I have not had the opportunity to play it yet. From what I’ve heard from other players who have it's a great course that can be set up in a multitude of ways. I’m excited to see what challenges they have in store with us in August.
You’ll be joined by three American teammates at the Olympics—Scottie Scheffler, Wyndham Clark, and Collin Morikawa. While they’re your competitors, they’re also your teammates. Do you guys train together? What’s the plan there?
We’ve all played practice rounds together at one point or another during the tour season and team events like Ryder Cup. Before I moved to Florida, Colin and I would play practice rounds together during off weeks back in Las Vegas. I’m sure during the preparations for the tournament in Paris we’ll practice together and come tournament time we’ll all do our best to represent the USA and bring home some hardware.
Who will be with you in Paris?
Having a team around you is very important and helps to keep me focused on the golf game and the task at hand week in and week out. In Paris, I will have my physical therapist, trainer, wife, and parents with me.
What’s your favorite Olympic sport to watch?
I’ve always enjoyed watching the track and field and swimming competitions. I might have to tune in to watch some of the new sports that were added to this Olympics. Since the last Olympics, I’ve had the chance to meet some other Olympians in passing and at sponsor events so it’ll be great to watch and root for the likes of Ryan Murphy and Jagger Eaton when they compete in swimming and skateboarding.
If you could try another sport for a day, what would it be? I know two of your great-grandfathers were premier league soccer players…
Yeah, they were for their respective top-flight divisions in their countries. So, I guess the obvious answer would be soccer, hopefully in a midfield or attacking position rather than defender, which I grew up playing. But besides that, I might like to try skateboarding. If we’re talking about trying another sport professionally, I think I’ll stick with golf.
What are you looking forward to most about Paris?
Representing my country and having the opportunity to defend my gold medal against the best players in the world. Paris is a great city to explore and I’m looking forward to the overall Olympic experience with fans and spectators.
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