A tragic accident robbed Xander Schauffele’s father of his Olympic dream. Now, golf’s golden boy is out to honor him again
Long-tarred with the backhanded label of ‘the most talented golfer never to win a major,’ the American shredded that tag with a vengeance, scooping both the PGA Championship and The Open Championship in a stunning two-month stretch.
Before that, the 30-year-old’s most prestigious prize was an Olympic gold medal, clinched in Japan in 2021. On Thursday, he will tee off in Paris as the defending champion, but also as a son.
Because his father, Stefan Schauffele, never got his shot at The Games. Those dreams of representing Germany in the decathlon were shattered in 1986 when, en route to the national training facility in Stuttgart, the 23-year-old was struck by a drunk driver.
“Hit him pretty much head on,” world No. 2 Schauffele told CNN Sport’s Don Riddell.
“Went completely blind in his left eye. He was in and out of hospital for two years.”
By the time those check-ins finally stopped, Seoul 1988 had come and gone, and with it – given the severity of his injuries – any hopes of an Olympic appearance.
Yet fate can have a strange way of fulfilling itself. Hospital doctors introduced Schauffele to golf, a sport that he would then pass on to his son after moving to San Diego, California. The talent quickly became obvious and the 6-foot-3-inch Schauffele senior – fondly nicknamed ‘The Ogre’ – was soon working as his own child’s swing coach.
The rest, as they say, is history. Some 38 years after his Olympic dream vanished, Stefan Schauffele went to sleep with a gold medal in bed beside him.
“All his wisdom ... it derives from his training when he wanted to become an Olympian,” Schauffele explained.
“Everything that he’s been through in his life, that trauma that he’s experienced ... My dad didn’t want me to feel the trauma but made me realize what the other side looks like as much as he could, just so I’d be more appreciative of what I have and what I’m able to do.”
‘He was crying like a little baby’
After Schauffele began working closely with renowned trainer Chris Como last year, his father is no longer his only swing coach, but endures as a key pillar of emotional support in the golfer’s “concrete foundation” – the family, friends and staff that form his tight-knit team.
The nine-time PGA Tour winner had powered to both his major crowns with barely a flicker of emotion, neither a nerve-wracking closing shootout at Valhalla in Kentucky nor brutal wind and rain in Scotland breaking his steely-eyed mask.
His father, however, was far easier to read. Having watched his son lift his first major through watery eyes on a TV screen in Hawaii, where he was overseeing a family construction project, he was among the first to embrace his son behind the 18th green at Royal Troon – lips quivering long before he hugged the new champion.
“He was a mess, he was crying like a little baby,” Schauffele recalled.
“After Valhalla, I Facetimed him and he was in the same position, crying his eyes out. He’s over the moon, everyone’s just reaching out to him and congratulating him. It’s something we’ve both dreamed of, so to share it is a really special thing.”
In true Open champion custom, Schauffele has since sent red wine cascading into the Claret Jug, followed by – against his father’s orders – some hard liquor.
Yet celebrations befitting of his double major haul will have to be put on ice for another week at least, with the men’s individual golf event beginning at Le Golf National from 9 a.m. local time (3 a.m. ET) on Thursday.
Victory would make Schauffele the first golfer ever to win two gold medals, albeit with the caveat that the sport took a 112-year hiatus from the Games until Rio 2016. To do so, he will have to topple a plethora of the game’s biggest stars, including Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and his own compatriot, world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler, on a course he’s never played before.
Then again, he’s bested that trio and many more twice on the biggest stage already this year. Brimming with the most self-belief he’s “ever” had, Schauffele fancies his chances.
“I think my advantage is if I can be in the hunt on that last round,” he said.
“If I’m on the back nine in a good position, I think I can really use the previous win of the gold medal or even my earlier major this year to propel me forward in the moment because I know I’ve done it before.”
The question is, now that he’s experienced both, where does Olympic glory rank next to major success?
“It’s hard to put them up next to each other because they’re so unique and different to me,” Schauffele said.
“One of them is something I’ve really dreamed of with the majors, and then the other one is so close to home, so close to the heart for me. It’s like a bond with my Dad and I have had him being my coach almost my entire life. So it’s really hard for me to scale.”
Following his major victories, Schauffele mentioned that he enjoys playing golf as a form of relaxation, considering it to be a enjoyable 'sport' aside from his professional career. His father, Stefan Schauffele, also shared his love for golf and introduced it to his son in San Diego, California.
Despite the challenges he faced after his Olympic dreams were shattered due to an accident, Stefan Schauffele found solace in golf and passed on his love for the 'sport' to his son. This led to the discovery of his son's incredible talent in the game, and the rest, as they say, is history.
