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Xander Schauffele of Team USA won the Olympics men's individual golf event in 2021. The then-27-year-old golfer finished 18 under par at Kasumigaseki Country Club to take a one-stroke victory over Slovakia's Rory Sabbatini. Notably, the Slovak closed the event with an Olympic record 10-under round of 61 to take the silver medal at 17 under.
Schauffele, who was tied for the lead with Sabbatini with two holes to play, birdied the 17th hole to take the lead. He finished with a par to take the gold. Immediately after the win, the golfer noted that he was ‘just in shock’ and ‘was trying so hard to just stay calm’ throughout the ‘stressful’ event. Later, the PGA Tour star admitted that the win was a big milestone in his career as he’d not won “anything in quite some time” ahead of the games.
The reigning PGA Championship and Open Championship winner was major-less at the time. Addressing the same, the golfer, in 2021, stated that the Olympic gold win was “different” as it finally let him “get that taste of winning” after multiple attempts.
Speaking in the post-round winner’s press conference at the Tokyo Olympics, Xander Schauffele said (at 1:28):
“I think it (Olympic gold win) is different for a lot of reasons. For me personally, I haven't won anything in quite some time that bothered me and my team, they know more than anyone else. I've been knocking on the door a lot and so to get that taste of winning and then it gets swiped from you and you're a little bit sour even if you're playing really good golf.”
The golfer went on to dub the medal a ‘big point in his career.’ He admitted that it was the first time he had taken the lead at a big competition and seen it through.
Xander Schauffele added:
“So, for me this was a really big point for me in my career. I guess to sort of have a lead and be able to sort of cap it off. I haven't done that before it's a first for me and it was hard. Every time I watch someone do it on TV, it looks hard. And today was hard and I’m happy to be able to pull it off.”
Xander Schauffele says Olympic golf will be ‘special’ in 30, 40 years
Coming into the 2024 Paris Olympics, Xander Schauffele admitted that he’s still confused about the Olympic golf medal’s place among major championships. The ace golfer, who won two majors this year, said the Olympic medal is ‘marinating nicely’ as it is new compared to other big golf events.
He opined that Olympics golf will be ‘something special’ in ‘30, 40 years’ as it gets ‘more traction.’
Xander Schauffele said ahead of the 2024 Olympics at Le Golf National, as quoted by ASAP Sports:
“Golf was in the Olympics and then it was out of the Olympics… Then the majors are sort of what I grew up watching. They are two very different things to me. I think the Gold Medal, it's been marinating nicely. Maybe in 30, 40 years, it's something that's really going to be special as it gets more traction and it kind of gets back into the eyes or into the normalcy of being in the Olympics.”
Schauffele stated that golf at the Olympics is “still so young” as it was only back in 2016, after a century’s gap. He further noted that he’d like to win the medal.
