Xander Schauffele facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Xander Schauffele |
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Schauffele in 2021
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| Personal information | |
| Full name | Alexander Victor Schauffele |
| Born | October 25, 1993 San Diego, California, U.S. |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in |
| Weight | 175 lb |
| Residence | Jupiter, Florida, U.S. |
| Spouse |
Maya Schauffele
(m. 2021) |
| Career | |
| College | California State University Long Beach San Diego State University |
| Turned professional | 2015 |
| Current tour(s) | PGA Tour |
| Former tour(s) | European Tour Web.com Tour |
| Professional wins | 12 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 9 |
| European Tour | 4 |
| Other | 3 |
| Best results in Major Championships (Wins: 2) |
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| The Masters Tournament | T2: 2019 |
| U.S. Open | T3: 2019 |
| The Open Championship | Won: 2024 |
| PGA Championship | Won: 2024 |
| Achievements and awards | |
| PGA Tour Rookie of the Year |
2016–17 |
Alexander Victor Schauffele (born October 25, 1993) is an American professional golfer. He plays on the PGA Tour, which is a top professional golf tour in the United States.
Xander won the Tour Championship in 2017. He also won a gold medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, for men's individual golf. In 2024, he won two major championships: the 2024 PGA Championship and the 2024 Open Championship.
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About Xander's Early Life
Xander Schauffele was born on October 25, 1993, in San Diego, California. His mother, Chen Ping-Yi, was born in Taiwan and grew up in Japan. His father, Stefan Schauffele, was born in Stuttgart, Germany. Stefan was a talented athlete who wanted to be a decathlete. He later became interested in golf and moved to the United States.
Xander's parents met in San Diego in 1988. They moved to Germany for a short time, where Xander's older brother Nico was born. Then, they returned to San Diego.
Xander's father taught him how to play golf when he was 9 years old. Stefan was Xander's only golf coach until Xander was 30. His father taught him based on how the golf ball flies and how golf clubs work. Xander started working with a new coach, Chris Como, in 2023.
Some of Xander's great-grandfathers were also amazing athletes. Johann Hoffmann was a soccer player for the Austria national football team. Richard Schauffele was a track and field star, winning many titles in discus, javelin, and shot put. Xander played soccer when he was younger, but he decided to focus on golf.
Xander's College Golf Career
Xander was a great golfer in high school. He won the 2011 California State High School Championship.
After high school, he played his first year of college golf at California State University Long Beach. He was named the Big West Conference Freshman of the Year in 2012.
Then, Xander moved to San Diego State University for the rest of his college career. He graduated in 2015. At San Diego State, he was recognized as an All-American golfer. He also earned academic awards for his studies. He set records at the university for his low scores and many birdies.
In 2014, Xander won the California State Amateur Championship. He was ranked among the top 10 amateur golfers in the world when he became a professional in 2015.
Xander's Professional Golf Career
Xander Schauffele became a professional golfer in June 2015. He played on the Web.com Tour in 2016. This tour helps golfers earn a spot on the PGA Tour. He played well enough to get his PGA Tour card for the next season.
Starting on the PGA Tour: Rookie of the Year
In 2017, Xander started playing on the PGA Tour. At the U.S. Open, he played a fantastic round without making any mistakes. He finished tied for fifth place, which was a great start for a new player.
Just three weeks later, in July 2017, Xander won his first PGA Tour event, the Greenbrier Classic. This win earned him spots in other big tournaments like The Open Championship and the PGA Championship.
He then qualified for the Tour Championship, which is a big event at the end of the season. He won the Tour Championship by just one shot! He was the first rookie (new player) to ever win this tournament. This win helped him finish third in the overall FedEx Cup standings. Because of his great first year, Xander was voted the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year for 2017.
Continued Success and Major Tournaments
In 2018, Xander changed golf equipment sponsors to Callaway. He continued to play well, finishing second at The Players Championship and tied for second at The Open Championship.
He joined the European Tour as a member in 2018. He won the WGC-HSBC Champions event in China in October 2018. This was a big win for him.
In January 2019, Xander won the Sentry Tournament of Champions in Hawaii. He shot an amazing final round of 62, which tied the course record, to come from behind and win.
In April 2019, Xander tied for second place at the Masters Tournament, finishing just one shot behind Tiger Woods. He made more birdies than anyone else in the tournament. In June, he tied for third at the U.S. Open.
In December 2019, Xander played for the U.S. team in the 2019 Presidents Cup in Australia. The U.S. team won, and Xander played an important part, winning his singles match.
Olympic Gold and More Wins
In August 2021, Xander Schauffele won the gold medal at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. He became the first American since 1900 to win an Olympic gold medal in golf! In September, he played for the U.S. team in the 2021 Ryder Cup, which the U.S. team won.
In 2022, Xander had three more PGA Tour wins. He won the Zurich Classic of New Orleans with his partner Patrick Cantlay. He also won the Travelers Championship and the Genesis Scottish Open. He played for the U.S. team again in the 2022 Presidents Cup, and they won.
In September 2023, Xander played in the 2023 Ryder Cup in Italy. The European team won this time.
Winning Major Championships
In May 2024, Xander won his first major championship, the 2024 PGA Championship. He made a birdie on the very last hole to win by one shot. His score of 21 under par set a new record for a major championship.
In July 2024, Xander won his second major, the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon. He played a great final round to pull ahead and win by two shots. This made him the first golfer since 2018 to win two major championships in the same year!
Xander's Personal Life
Xander met his wife, Maya, when they were in college at San Diego State University. They got married in 2021. Xander has family living near Tokyo, Japan, and he has visited Japan with his wife.
Amateur Wins
- 2011 California State High School Championship
- 2012 OGIO UC Santa Barbara Invite
- 2014 Lamkin Grips SD Classic, California State Amateur Championship
- 2015 Barona Collegiate Cup
Key Professional Wins
- 2017 Greenbrier Classic
- 2017 Tour Championship
- 2018 WGC-HSBC Champions
- 2019 Sentry Tournament of Champions
- 2021 Olympic Games (Gold Medal)
- 2022 Zurich Classic of New Orleans (team event)
- 2022 Travelers Championship
- 2022 Genesis Scottish Open
- 2024 PGA Championship
- 2024 The Open Championship
Major Championship Results
Xander has played in many major championships. Here's how he has done:
| Tournament | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
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| Masters Tournament | T50 | T2 | T17 | T3 | CUT | T10 | 8 | |
| PGA Championship | CUT | T35 | T16 | T10 | CUT | T13 | T18 | 1 |
| U.S. Open | T5 | T6 | T3 | 5 | T7 | T14 | T10 | T7 |
| The Open Championship | T20 | T2 | T41 | NT | T26 | T15 | T17 | 1 |
Win Top 10 Did not play CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
NT = no tournament due to COVID-19 pandemic
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U.S. National Team Appearances
Xander has represented the United States in these team golf events:
- Presidents Cup: 2019 (winners), 2022 (winners), 2024 (winners)
- Ryder Cup: 2021 (winners), 2023
