Summary
Xander Schauffele takes the Baycurrent Classic, celebrating his victory at the Yokohama Country Club, near Tokyo, on October 12, 2025. Despite a year filled with difficulties, Schauffele achieved a satisfying finish by playing bogey-free in the second half of the round and making a crucial birdie on the 17th hole. “I’m sure when I look back on 2025 at the end of my career, I’ll smile and think it was a great year,” Schauffele commented. However, when compared to the previous year, when he won the PGA Championship and the British Open, his situation was different.
2025 got off to a difficult start due to a rib injury that kept him out of competition for two months.
During this time, he received the news that his wife, Maya, was pregnant with their first child. Despite not finding his best game, Schauffele showed resilience, maintaining the longest cut streak since Tiger Woods, with 72 consecutive tournaments since April 2022.
His coach, Chris Como, emphasized Schauffele's positive attitude throughout the year. "He doesn't make excuses. It probably wasn't the year many expected from him, but he stuck with his process," Como said.
Key details
Despite lacking significant results in major tournaments, Schauffele excelled in the Ryder Cup, where he posted a 3-1 record. His victory in the Baycurrent Classic marked his tenth PGA Tour win, a remarkable conclusion to a difficult year.
“I definitely had doubts. Every player feels at some point on top of the world and then loses confidence,” Schauffele reflected. “This is really special for me. Sooner than I thought, to be fair. I was running out of events in 2025 to make my mark.”
Schauffele, who has won various tournaments and also earned a gold medal at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, has strong family ties to Japan. “The Schauffele family ties in Japan are deep,” he said, recalling how his father spoke German so he couldn’t understand it, but switched to Japanese when his brother Nico was present.
Despite the challenges, Schauffele has proven that with hard work and a positive attitude, he can overcome adversity and achieve success in golf.
