Xander Schauffele cherishes every opportunity to play the Baycurrent Classic but this year’s homecoming to Japan feels exceptional.
The 32-year-old, two-time major winner gets the chance to defend his title at Yokohama Country Club but the real highlight of the trip came when he introduced his son, Victor, to his great grandparents for the first time earlier this week.
“I’ve been coming here since I was roughly 10 years old,” said Schauffele, who has come to visit his maternal grandparents in Tokyo many times over the last 20 years including a triumph at the 2021 Olympics where he captured the gold meal for Team USA.
“It sort of feels like in some way a home away from home,” he added. “Definitely feel comfortable being here and appreciate the culture here in Japan a lot.”
Schauffele made the trip with his wife, Maya, and one-year-old Victor this week so his boy could meet three of his great grandparents. On Tuesday, Victor met Schauffele’s grandparents in Tokyo. He will meet Maya’s grandfather who lives in Miyako-jima later this week.
“That will be a really cool moment, a lot of generations of family will be there,” Schauffele explained. “It’s kind of what it’s all about, so it’s pretty cool we’re able to get everyone together.”
Schauffele will tee it up at the Baycurrent for the eighth consecutive time on Thursday.
Yokohama, located just 20 miles southwest of Tokyo, is hosting the tournament for the second year in a row.
Schauffele earned his 10th career win during the course’s hosting stint, shooting 19 under to narrowly escape Max Greyserman by just a stroke.
“Really cool moment for me in my career to perform at a really high level at a place that I hold dear,” Schauffele reflected in his pre-tournament press conference this week. “Definitely looking forward to creating more of those moments.”
As far as the course at Yokohama, Schauffele said he feels pretty comfortable on the grasses in Japan and that a different approach is needed than at home in the U.S.
He emphasized the importance of keeping the ball in the fairways this week, as the rough can be difficult to gauge, noting that it’s been pounded by about 40 days of rain recently.
“I think the course is in really good shape all things considered,” Schauffele added. “I think traditionally Japanese grass, the greens are some sort of bent, which roll really pure, usually a wider blade grass. For the Tokyo Olympics, it was sort of similar fairway grass, some sort of Zoysia or kikuyu.”
