Xander Schauffele has opened up on the influence of his father in instilling an admiration for the Olympics in him from an early age - as he looks to earn a second gold medal in as many attempts at the Games .
The American has had a bumper year, triumphing at the 2024 PGA Championship in May before following that up with another victory at the 2024 Open . However, could be argued that the 30-year-old's rise from his status as one of the sport's perennial nearly-men to becoming a serial majors winner ramped up after clinching the big prize at the Olympics in Tokyo in 2021.
Earning gold in the individual men's golf event, Schauffele achieved a lifelong dream at the most recent Games in what was a particularly proud moment for his whole family. Having grown up as the son of an aspiring decathlete who had his career cut cruelly short, the golfing superstar knows only too well the fine margins between success and failure.
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Reflecting on the experience three years ago in Japan, he said to the Daily Mail : "Winning gold in Tokyo was huge for me. It was one of those times when I wasn’t winning a lot of tournaments and then you beat a great field. I have the podium photo – it was obviously Covid, so I’m there with my medal and wearing a mask.
"With my dad desperately wanting to be an Olympian himself, I grew up knowing what the Games mean, he continued, as he revealed how his father had served as a major inspiration. There's a serious family tie for me – I think my dad’s grandfather even competed in the hammer throw."
Ultimately, the two-time major championships winner's satisfaction was made all the more sweet after the hardship faced by his own flesh and blood in the past. He recalled: "Sharing that win with my dad in Tokyo was so cool, but the decathlon thing has played a big part in my golf.
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"My dad’s philosophies are all based around that – he would explain that my golf game was like a decathlete, that you don't need to be all-world at one thing," he continued, outlining the attributes that were shaped by his dad. "You just need to be good, solid at all things, which is the decathlete approach."
After earning the gold medal, Schauffele also humorously remembered how the evening subsequently played out, with his father's glee palpable on the night. He said: "My dad slept with it, shirtless, I think, the first night. The first night it was ever in our care.
"I don't know if that's really taking great care of it, but my parents have it all the time. There was a guac[amole] stain somewhere on it - and my mom got that out obviously - from my dad eating some sort of California burrito or something. I don't know. But something happened."
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