Genetics have put new British Open champion Xander Schauffele (30) on track for his second major in 2024 after the PGA Championship, which he won in May.
His German grandfather, Richard Schöffel, was a sensational athlete, standing two metres tall: this size had led him to win dozens of titles in the javelin and discus.
And his father, Stephan, was also a good footballer, skier, squash player and a golfer, until he was hit by a driver in Stuttgart. The man spent two years in and out of hospitals, but he lost the sight in one eye.
The injury made him depressed and led him to drink alcohol. Passing the accident area every day made him so sad that he decided to pack up and migrate to San Diego. It was 1988. There he met Chen Bingyi.
Their relationship was completely loving, never better said than that, as she didn’t speak English and he didn’t speak Chinese. However, things worked out and thus Xander and Nico were born.
Stephen tested the boys. Xander was a good football player. At the age of six he handled the ball with both feet. The thing is, he had the spirit of a winner and played football against the losing team. Frustrated, he asked his father for advice. Stephen, a golf instructor, took up the job. At the age of nine, Xander put football aside.
The father raised the boy in San Diego, although things became tense. Xander reached adolescence and with it came rebellion. They argued a lot. The father became Zen: he delved deeply into his son’s spirituality. They are still together today.
It’s been a dream for a long time: Golf star Xander Schauffele triumphs at British Open
Xander Schauffele and his caddie, Austin Kaiser, celebrate their victory at the British Open this Sunday
Out of it has come a sensational golfer; the genetics and the results say so.
Just like at the PGA Championship two months ago, Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion Xander Schauffele flew to Royal Troon Golf Club in humid and windy south-east Scotland yesterday.
He signed four birdies in the last eight holes and carded 65 strokes (71 under par; overall, he finished the four rounds with 275 strokes), gaining an amazing lead over his rivals, recognized Justin Rose and Billy Horschel (277) and observer Thriston Lawrence (278; he could not withstand the pressure in the final stages), and a warning to nationalism: In golf, the power is in the mix.
Tiger Woods showed it to us in his time, and now Schauffele shows it to us.
(Jon Rahm was 7th: 283).
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