Xander Schauffele has a different relationship with the Olympic Games than most other golfers in the field at Le Golf National this week.
X’s father, Stefan, was on the German decathlon team and an Olympic hopeful before a drunk driver struck his car, causing him a multitude of injuries and to lose sight in his left eye.
And while Stefan never got his chance to don a medal, Xander did, winning gold at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago. This week, he is the defending champion and arguably the hottest golfer in the world, as 60 players from across the globe are in Paris at Le Golf National for the men’s golf Olympic competition. He comes to the games off a victory in the Open Championship two weeks ago in Scotland and has won two majors this year.
Justin Rose, the gold medal winner in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, isn’t in the field this week, so no one is able to answer the question quite like Xander on which means more, an Olympic gold or major trophy?
More: USA Today’s 2024 Olympics hub | How to watch | Full men’s field | Full women’s field
“It is a good question but it’s tricky,” Xander said. “Golf was in the Olympics and then it was out of the Olympics. So I think a lot of the kids were watching Tiger, or if you’re a little bit older, you’re watching Jack or Arnie, the older legends of the game. You’re watching them win majors. It’s kind of different.
“For me, it’s very personal, my relationship with my dad, the relationship my dad and I have with golf, a lot of is sort of surround his teachings of when he was trying to be an Olympian.
“Then the majors are sort of what I grew up watching. They are two very different things to me. I think the gold medal, it’s been marinating nicely. Maybe in 30, 40 years, it’s something that’s really going to be special as it gets more traction and it kind of gets back into the eyes or into the normalcy of being in the Olympics.”
Xander said being able to share the medal with Stefan was one of the more intimate moments of his life in Tokyo. Being held with strict COVID-19 protocols, there were no fans and hardly any family members present, but Stefan was there to watch his son’s biggest victory to date. Xander’s added a couple more bullet points to his resume since, but the Olympics have a special place in his heart.
Olympics: Thursday tee times
“When you hear the anthem and you come off green and I’m able to sort of share the medal with him, it was kind of as cool as it gets for me, being something that I can deliver to him that he’s always wanted,” Xander said. “I think for starters, just being an Olympian is something he always wanted, so that was already a huge delivery just in that sense.”
This Olympics has plenty of differences for Xander. For one, athletes are able to attend other events and explore Paris, whereas in Tokyo, they were confined to hotel rooms.
Between the Open and Olympics, Xander said he and Collin Morikawa spent time with their wives in Portugal and played plenty of golf. To get familiar with Le Golf National, he has played 36 holes and is going to play nine more come Wednesday.
Then on Thursday, it’s time to defend his gold medal.
“Feels like a brand new tournament,” Xander said. “I think with the build and the anticipation of fans and I think just coming to and from the hotel, you just see people everywhere. So the feel of everything and willing I think you’re starting to get the real feel of a lot of what the Olympics is about.”