Read on as Xander Schauffele, the World Golf Championships winner and Olympic gold medalist, talks trophies versus travel and keeping a social life. All of this he accomplished while gearing up to defend his title at the Open Championship at Royal Portrush. Even with his remarkable record, which includes eight wins on the PGA Tour, Schauffele is modest about his accomplishments.
When asked about the whereabouts of his gold medal from the Tokyo 2021 Olympics, Schauffele candidly admitted, “I actually have no idea where that is, to be completely honest.” His family, particularly his parents, play a significant role in managing his collection of trophies, which are likely stored securely in a bank vault.
And for all his accomplishments, from winning The Open to the PGA Championship to the Tour Championship, Schauffele and his wife continue to eschew a lavish lifestyle. They are focused on living life outside the media glare. They live in San Diego, and his dad is in the process of building a house on Kauai. He humorously noted, “What am I going to do with it? I don’t really invite people over to my house. Am I just going to go look at it myself?”
Schauffele’s family philosophy lends itself to some minimalism. Painted a bright orange, his father’s house, Stefan Schauffele, refers to their home as “the container.” This illuminating approach extends to their decor selections, as well. Otherwise, as Schauffele clarified, seeing it done ideally, he would have pictures of his dogs printed all over their house.
The golfer offered this humorous perspective on using your time wisely. “I’m always late, so maybe a clock would be good for me,” he quipped. It’s clear that his dedication to developing his game is unmistakable. He is constantly working on adapting his skill set to a more modern game. “Right now I really want to keep my head down and keep charging,” he stated.
As Schauffele gets ready for that tournament, he spoke about wanting to keep his feet on the ground even with all of the accolades. “I don’t want to walk into a trophy room like, ‘Look how great I am.’ I was just raised to think that way, and it’s kind of stuck.”
Additionally, Schauffele humorously recounted a story about a picture of him with his Olympic medal that his wife hung in their gym. “My wife hung up some pictures of me in my gym of me winning the Olympic medal, and she put it so high up I can’t reach it,” he noted. Yet this same anecdote reveals not just the golfer’s humor, but his preference for motivation instead of self-promotion.
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