On Sunday, Xander Schauffele broke through with the biggest win of his golf career to date when he captured the PGA Championship.
The 30-year-old held off Bryson DeChambeau in Valhalla by shooting a hugely impressive 21 under par.
But what else do we know about Schauffele?
This is where Mail Sport dives in…
Xander Schauffele celebrated his first major victory when he captured the PGA Championship
Schauffele held off Bryson DeChambeau to win at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky
Who is Xander Schauffele?
Born in San Diego, California, Schauffele is the son of Chen Ping-Yi and Stefan Schauffele.
His mother was born in Taiwan but raised in Japan, while his German-born father Stefan, who has been his swing coach all his life, was born to a French mother and a German father.
After winning a California State High School Championship in 2011, Schauffele began his college career at Cal State Long Beach before later transferring to San Diego State.
Schauffele turned pro in 2015 and made his PGA debut the following year.
During the Tour, Schauffele has built a reputation as one of the best players in the world, as evidenced by his current No. 2 ranking.
Schauffele’s father, Stefan, has been his swing coach his entire life. Schauffele also works with coach Chris Como.
What are his greatest achievements?
Schauffele’s PGA Championship last weekend is by far his greatest achievement to date, as it marks the first major win of the golfer’s career.
However, he had come close several times with six top-five finishes in majors, including a second-place finish in The Masters and British Open respectively.
Schauffele has a total of eight PGA Tour victories, including the 2017 Tour Championship and the 2022 Scottish Open.
He also won the Ryder Cup with Team USA in 2021 and won an Olympic gold medal for individual play that same year.
Schauffele won a gold medal for his individual play at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics
Who is he married to?
Schauffele has been married to his wife Maya since 2021, but the couple has known each other much longer.
According to Golf weekthe couple met while he was playing golf at SDSU, with Maya, a student near UC-San Diego.
Citing a now-deleted LinkedIn profile, the website wrote that she worked for Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest.
And Maya has been by her husband’s side throughout his career, as she was seen holding hands with him in Louisville after Sunday’s win.
Last year she also traveled with him to the Ryder Cup in Rome.
Xander and his wife Maya have been married since 2021, but met during their college years
Maya was by Xander’s side as he lifted the PGA Championship trophy on Sunday afternoon
She previously attended the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome and is a regular at its tournaments
What did he say after his PGA Championship?
After his win, Schauffele was asked if his father was not present for the victory as his parents are currently on the Hawaiian island of Kauai.
‘He came to mind during an interview yesterday. “I just said, I have to sneak back there, commit, execute, accept,” he said. “That’s something he’s ingrained in me since I was about nine years old.
“I was actually able to call him as I was waiting to walk onto the 18th green. He was a mess. He was crying on the phone. It made me quite emotional. I told him I had to hang up because I had to walk downstairs. I couldn’t show up as I was.’
Schauffele said after his win that he spoke to his father before walking onto the 18th green
Schauffele celebrates with his caddy, Austin Kaiser, after winning on the 18th green
Schauffele was also asked how he finally got over the hump and captured his first major title.
“To be specific, I’m honestly not so sure,” he says said. “I feel like I’ve been on this kind of trend path for a while. I really had to stay patient and keep the confidence up, and I was able to do both of those things.
He added: “I have become very patient in recent years and have not had a single victory. The people closest to me know how stubborn I can be. Winning, I said it before, is a result. This is amazing. It’s super sweet. But when I break it down, I’m really proud of the way I interacted with certain moms on the trail today, differently than I used to.