Xander Schaufeele may be flying high from his victory at The Open but has been given some humbling advice after being mocked for his style on the golf course. The 30-year-old will attempt to become a double Olympic champion in Paris but has faced jibes for his fashion choices during the most successful year of his career.
The world No 2 managed to shed his major hoodoo at the PGA Championship in May, clinching the first title of his career. After finally getting over the line, Schauffele triumphed at The Open in Scotland earlier this month.
It seems the ideal preparation for Schauffele as he bids to retain his Olympic gold medal at the Paris Games. However, shortly after his Open victory at Royal Troon, the two-time major winner was instructed to improve a particular aspect of his game following jokes about his style of footwear.
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Speaking to the Pardon My Take Podcast, the hosts jokingly compared Schauffele’s look to a waiter and suggested that his black shoes with white stripes made him seem unathletic. “That’s humbling,” Schauffele said while laughing. “Dude, I don’t give a s*** what I look like to be completely honest. I don’t have to look at me when I’m playing.
“I do have to look at my shoes and I do feel good so as long as I feel good…the shoes are the shoes. I wore those black shoes at the fricking PGA and won with them!”
“We play golf for a living, dude,” he added. “We’re like camels,we’re just supposed to slop around until we get to the finish line. We’re not running out there.”
Schauffele may not feel the need to appear athletic on the golf course but does come from a sporting background and has added motivation to become a two-time Olympic champion. His father was a decathlete who aspired to be an Olympian, and the Team USA star treasured being able to share his gold medal with his dad at the Tokyo Games.
"Winning gold in Tokyo was huge for me. It was one of those times when I wasn't winning a lot of tournaments and then you beat a great field,” Schauffele told the Daily Mail. “I have the podium photo it was obviously Covid, so I'm there with my medal and wearing a mask.
"With my dad desperately wanting to be an Olympian himself, I grew up knowing what the Games mean. There's a serious family tie for me I think my dad's grandfather even competed in the hammer throw.
"Sharing that win with my dad in Tokyo was so cool, but the decathlon thing has played a big part in my golf,” he added. "My dad's philosophies are all based around that he would explain that my golf game was like a decathlete, that you don't need to be all-world at one thing, You just need to be good, solid at all things, which is the decathlete approach."
