Xander Schauffele never had any doubts that he was a great player, one of the best in the world, capable of beating anyone, of making the lowest rounds, of hitting all the shots. He knew all this, but he was missing something. A detail as easy to write on paper as it is difficult to achieve. He wanted to win more. He dreamed of touching silver more times. That simple, that complicated.
For this, he made a very uncomfortable decision. Stefan Schauffele, his father and lifelong coach, stepped aside. Together they sought help, another person, a second opinion to guide them in this ambitious goal. The chosen one was Chris Como, curiously the coach with whom Bryson DeChambeau revolutionised golf a few years ago and with whom he no longer works. Miracle worker.
“Chris has helped me a lot. He has given me a couple of technical details that make me feel more comfortable on the ball. I hit better shots and have more resources than before. My father thought he was the right person and we bet on him. My father, like all fathers, only wanted the best for me and the truth is that we have hit the nail on the head,” said Schauffele this Sunday with the Wanamaker trophy under his arm during his appearance with the journalists.
Stefan stepped aside so much that he wasn’t even at the PGA Championship, even though he used to be practically Xander’s shadow at every tournament. “He’s in Hawaii enjoying himself. We’ve talked all week, he’s sent me very positive messages, but he’s more on the sidelines. I was able to talk to him just before going down to the 18th hole green to pick up the cup. He was crying. It was very emotional. He looks like an ogre, but he’s actually a crybaby. In fact, I remember when we were on the couch and Stricker won a tournament, my father would also start crying.” (Stricker is known for being a crybaby every time he achieved a victory).
Among those messages from his father to his mobile, there was one on Saturday night, the last one before going out to play. “It said: a constant drop is capable of breaking a stone. He sent it to me in German and I had to translate it. I think it’s a proverb that defines me quite well. Everyone who knows me knows that I am very stubborn, very constant. It’s key to success,” says Xander.
Therefore, when asked if he was bothered by being told that he was the best player in the world without winning a major, Schauffele tried to turn it around. “It’s clear that it’s a nuisance to be asked all the time. I prefer to answer questions with the Wanamaker by my side than after having lost, but it really doesn’t matter to me. I also believed it. Deep down it was a compliment. I also knew that I was very good and by trying I was clear that I would end up arriving. The drop and the stone. Actually, both that phrase and the previous defeats I have suffered have been fuel for me. They help me enjoy this victory much more now,” he explains.
Schauffle is 30 years old and has four different passports. On his father’s side he is French and German and on his mother’s side he is Japanese and Taiwanese. For him, family is the most important thing. In fact, beyond the fact that his father has been his coach all his life, the creator of his swing, his brother works for him as a cook and his uncle acts as a manager. His family is his core. The most important thing.
By the way, if there was one thing Schauffele was clear about when he stood on the 18th hole tee and saw that DeChambeau had reached -20, it was that he didn’t want to go to the playoff against him. “It’s obvious. If he manages to hit one of his drives closing over the water he was going to have a second shot with a 9 iron. It was too much advantage for him,” he concludes.
