“I wouldn’t pass that up for anything” - Xander Schauffele reveals special reason behind his travel to Japan for the Zozo Championship
Xander Schauffele is in Japan this week for the 2023 Zozo Championship. Ranked No.6 in the Official World Golf Rankings, the 29-year-old American golfer is the highest-rated player on the event’s field. Now, the golfer has come out to reveal that his trip to Chiba, while many of his PGA Tour friends rested, wasn’t fully professional but also personal.
According to Schauffele, traveling to Japan is a no-brainer for him as his family lives there. The golfer’s mother, Ping Yi, was born in Chinese Taipei. However, she grew up in Japan from the age of 2. Interestingly, her parents still live in the country and Schauffele’s participation in the Zozo Championship leads to a family reunion each year.
Talking about the reason behind his travel, the PGA Tour star stated that he “wouldn’t pass up” meeting his grandparents amid his workload.
Xander Schauffele said, as quoted by Golfweek:
“Coming to Japan is pretty simple for me. I have family here and to be able to sort of split the workload and seeing my grandparents is really cool, I wouldn’t pass that up for anything.”
It is pertinent to note that Schauffele already met his grandparents ahead of the competition. The golfer took a re-route on Sunday when he arrived and spent some time with them Monday morning before getting to practice in Japan. It is also noteworthy that the 29-year-old is one of only five players who have yet to miss a Zozo Championship outing since its inception.
However, family is not the sole reason Xander Schauffele is in Japan this week. The golfer is also chasing his maiden win of the season.
He added:
“Of course, I’m still chasing a win this season and only have a few opportunities left to get that done. Winning is a very important thing and sort of how our careers are judged, and I wasn’t able to win, but the season isn’t over yet.”
Xander Schauffele on his debut in Japan
Fans may find it interesting to learn that Xander Schauffele made his professional golf debut in Japan. The golfer competed as a pro for the first time in 2018 at a Japan Golf Tour event. Opening up on the experience, he said that he still remembers it not going according to his plan
He said:
“I shot a pair of 76s or 77s, missed the cut by a landslide. I remember hitting a lot of balls OB and just struggling to get my feet grounded playing in my first pro start.”
However, Schauffele later corrected it and landed great success at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The golfer won the gold medal at the prestigious event held in Japan. Recalling the event, the PGA star said that he enjoyed listening to Japanese people cheering him on as he walked with the gold medal.