It might not have been Xander Schauffele’s most prestigious tournament victory, but it should be the American’s most memorable.
Schauffele yesterday shot a seven-under 64 to win the Baycurrent Classic in Japan — a country where his Taiwan-born mother grew up and where he has many connections.
Schauffele, who shot 19-under 265 over four rounds at the Yokohama Country Club, finished one shot ahead of American Max Greyserman, who was also the runner-up at the event a year earlier as he chases his first PGA Tour title.
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When she was four years old, Schauffele’s mother, Chen Ping-yi, moved to Japan, where her Taiwanese parents still live. His mother-in-law is also Japanese, and his wife is half Japanese and grew up in Okinawa.
“I’ve been coming here since I was about nine years old to visit my grandparents,” Schauffele said. “I sort of fell in love with this country a long time ago. I can’t wait to bring my son here when he’s old enough to sort of understand and appreciate the culture here in Japan.”
“Yeah, the ties run deep for the Schauffele family here in Japan,” he added.
Schauffele and his wife, Maya Schauffele, became parents just more than a month ago with the birth of a son.
“It’s still kind of fresh, but it’s definitely a cool thing being a dad and I’m so excited to go home to him and Maya after this,” he said.
He was cheered during the tournament by family members who attended, including his 81-year-old grandmother who walked the course with him.
In a 2021 Golf Digest article, he said he referred to his grandparents as “agong” and “ama,” Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese) terms of endearment.
He yesterday said there would probably be a “get-together” with family members later to celebrate.
“I mean, I don’t get to see them very often and they’ve always been gracious with their time to come out wherever the event was,” he said. “They’ve been awesome to me and this is pretty cool. I’ve really wanted to share a win with them, so can’t wait to get together with them.”
Meanwhile, Taiwan’s Kevin Yu finished tied for 20th in the tournament with an eight-under 276.
Additional reporting by staff writer
AloJapan.com