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FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — It has been a busy last month for Xander Schauffele. On Aug. 29, his wife Maya gave birth to the couple's first child, son Victor.
"That's my middle name," Schauffele said. "No, I didn't name him after Viktor Hovland. I was Victor way before Viktor was born."
All jokes aside, it's Schauffele's first time playing competitive golf since becoming a dad, and he makes his return in the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black. It'll be Schauffele's third consecutive appearance in the biennial competition, boasting a 4-4-0 record in his first two starts.
As far as adjusting to dad life? Safe to say it was hard to leave home, even though this week is one of the biggest competitions in golf.
"It's been awesome. I feel very lucky to have my wife. She's at home with him right now. I miss him a bunch," Schauffele said. "I had to sort of rip the Band-Aid when I was leaving the house, just kiss him on the forehead and walk out before I started staring at him. It's been cool to sort of learn what it's like to be a dad, and I look forward to everything that comes with that."
His last appearance in competition was the BMW Championship, where he finished T-28. Schauffele didn't make the Tour Championship, and his last win came in the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon.
Schauffele was one of two players, along with LIV Golf's Bryson DeChambeau, who didn't play two weeks ago with the remaining members of the U.S. team at the Procore Championship in California, choosing instead to spend the time at home with his newborn.
"Golf-wise, obviously didn't do a whole lot of golf for a bit, having him and trying to be a good teammate to my wife, because that's kind of all us guys can do early on," Schauffele said. "I feel like after these two days, surprisingly playing kind of nice. I know I surprised myself when I came out."
Schauffele has played in all but two sessions in his two Ryder Cup appearances, and there's a good chance captain Keegan Bradley will lean on the world No. 4 heavily this week.
But even with the limited reps coming in, expect Schauffele to be ready.
"It was funny to get some texts from captain and a lot of assistant caps like hey, how you doing," Schauffele said, "because I wasn't able to make Napa. But it was good to prepare at home on what was limited sleep, but sort of a much clearer head than in season."
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Ryder Cup 2025: New dad Xander Schauffele returns at Bethpage Black
Continue reading...
"That's my middle name," Schauffele said. "No, I didn't name him after Viktor Hovland. I was Victor way before Viktor was born."
All jokes aside, it's Schauffele's first time playing competitive golf since becoming a dad, and he makes his return in the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black. It'll be Schauffele's third consecutive appearance in the biennial competition, boasting a 4-4-0 record in his first two starts.
As far as adjusting to dad life? Safe to say it was hard to leave home, even though this week is one of the biggest competitions in golf.
"It's been awesome. I feel very lucky to have my wife. She's at home with him right now. I miss him a bunch," Schauffele said. "I had to sort of rip the Band-Aid when I was leaving the house, just kiss him on the forehead and walk out before I started staring at him. It's been cool to sort of learn what it's like to be a dad, and I look forward to everything that comes with that."
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His last appearance in competition was the BMW Championship, where he finished T-28. Schauffele didn't make the Tour Championship, and his last win came in the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon.
Schauffele was one of two players, along with LIV Golf's Bryson DeChambeau, who didn't play two weeks ago with the remaining members of the U.S. team at the Procore Championship in California, choosing instead to spend the time at home with his newborn.
"Golf-wise, obviously didn't do a whole lot of golf for a bit, having him and trying to be a good teammate to my wife, because that's kind of all us guys can do early on," Schauffele said. "I feel like after these two days, surprisingly playing kind of nice. I know I surprised myself when I came out."
Schauffele has played in all but two sessions in his two Ryder Cup appearances, and there's a good chance captain Keegan Bradley will lean on the world No. 4 heavily this week.
But even with the limited reps coming in, expect Schauffele to be ready.
"It was funny to get some texts from captain and a lot of assistant caps like hey, how you doing," Schauffele said, "because I wasn't able to make Napa. But it was good to prepare at home on what was limited sleep, but sort of a much clearer head than in season."
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Ryder Cup 2025: New dad Xander Schauffele returns at Bethpage Black
Continue reading...
