PLAYER PROFILE · PGA TOUR
Xander Schauffele spent years as the best player in the world without a major – a fixture in the top five, an Olympic gold medallist, a serial contender who kept falling agonisingly short of the biggest titles. Then, in a single 2024 season, he won two of them, and the “best without a major” label was retired for good.
| Full name | Alexander Victor Schauffele |
|---|---|
| Born | 25 October 1993, San Diego, California, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Turned pro | 2015 |
| Primary tour | PGA Tour |
| Height | 5′ 10″ (1.78 m) |
| Major championships | 2 (2024 PGA, 2024 Open) |
| Olympic medal | Gold, Tokyo 2020 |
| College | San Diego State University |
| Equipment | Callaway |
Early Life & College
Schauffele grew up in San Diego in a family for whom sport was serious business – his father, Stefan, had been a promising decathlete whose athletic career was ended by a car accident, and who became Xander’s coach and remains a central influence. After a year at California State University, Long Beach, he transferred to San Diego State, graduating in 2015 before turning professional. He arrived on the PGA Tour without hype and left it, within two years, unable to be ignored.
The Best Without a Major
Schauffele won the Tour Championship as a rookie in 2017 – the first rookie ever to do so – and settled quickly into the sport’s upper tier, a permanent presence in the world’s top ten. But for the better part of a decade he was defined as much by the majors he did not win as the tournaments he did: a string of top-fives and near-misses at Augusta and beyond that made him, by consensus, the finest player yet to break through. The 2020 Olympic gold in Tokyo was proof he could win under the fiercest pressure; the majors, for a while, remained just out of reach.
The 2024 Breakthrough
Then came the season that rewrote his story. At the 2024 PGA Championship at Valhalla, Schauffele holed a birdie putt on the seventy-second hole to win his first major with a record-tying total of twenty-one under par. Two months later, at Royal Troon, he did it again, closing with a final-round 65 to win the Open Championship in difficult links conditions. In doing so he became the first man ever to shoot a closing 65 to win two different majors in the same year – transforming, in the space of a summer, from nearly-man to double major champion.
Playing Style
Schauffele is the model of the modern all-court professional: no glaring weakness, no signature flaw, a game built on consistency and a temperament that rarely cracks. He drives it long and straight, ranks among the tour’s best from tee to green, and has the short game and the nerve to close – as his two seventy-second-hole major moments in 2024 proved. If he lacks the box-office flash of some of his rivals, it is because his brilliance is quiet, cumulative and relentlessly efficient.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many majors has Xander Schauffele won?
Xander Schauffele has won two major championships, both in 2024 – the PGA Championship at Valhalla and the Open Championship at Royal Troon. He became the first player to win two majors in a single season by closing with a final-round 65 in each.
How old is Xander Schauffele and where is he from?
Schauffele was born on 25 October 1993 in San Diego, California. He played college golf at San Diego State University and turned professional in 2015.
What is Xander Schauffele’s heritage?
Schauffele has a strikingly international background. His father, Stefan, is of German and French descent and was born in Stuttgart; his mother was born in Taiwan and raised in Japan. Xander himself was born and raised in San Diego and represents the United States.
Has Xander Schauffele won an Olympic gold medal?
Yes. Schauffele won the gold medal in the men’s individual event at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, one of the signature achievements of his career before his 2024 major breakthrough.
What equipment does Xander Schauffele use?
Schauffele plays Callaway clubs, having signed with the brand in 2018.