Xander Schauffele has personal motivation for seeking Olympic gold in Paris

Xander Schauffele has shared how his father's early influence fostered a deep respect for the Olympics in him from a young age, as he aims for another gold medal at the Games .

The American golfer had a standout year, clinching the 2024 PGA Championship in May and then securing another triumph at the 2024 Open. Yet, it's argued that the 30-year-old's ascent from one of golf's consistent almost-there players to a major tournament collector accelerated following his Olympic victory in Tokyo, back in 2021.

Winning the individual men's golf event at the latest Olympics was a heartwarming family milestone . As the son of a once hopeful decathlete whose ambitions were devastatingly curtailed , Schauffele is intimately familiar with the delicate balance between winning and losing.

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Reminiscing about that memorable time in Japan three years prior, Schauffele expressed 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."

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"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."

he continued, revealing how his father had been a significant influence. "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."

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The satisfaction of the two-time major championships winner was heightened by the struggles faced by his own family in the past. He remembered: "Sharing that win with my dad in Tokyo was so cool, but the decathlon thing has played a big part in my golf."

"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 qualities that were moulded by his dad. "You just need to be good, solid at all things, which is the decathlete approach."

After winning the gold medal, Schauffele also humorously recalled how the evening unfolded, with his father's joy evident 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."