Xander Schauffele Shares Emotional Augusta National Dream He Wants to Achieve Before His Father Passes

Augusta National is where golfers’ dreams come true, but for Xander Schauffele, the course carries a different kind of weight. It’s tied to a promise he made with his father and a timeline that is not entirely in his control.

“My dad said he’ll play with me when I’m a member,”Xander Schauffele shared with the media. “So I got to do that before he passes.”

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The deeper story behind his Augusta goal tells a story about the bond he shares with his old man. Stefan Schauffele was Xander’s only swing coach from the time he took up golf at age 9 until 2023, nearly two decades, before outside coach Chris Como was brought in. Stefan was also a vocal presence on the business side of his son’s career.

He advised him to stay loyal to the PGA Tour rather than pursue a move to LIV Golf. After the 32-year-old won The Open Championship, the Claret Jug went straight to his father for the first sip to honor him. Stefan’s own story gives this goal extra weight.

Schauffele Sr. was a promising decathlete in Germany before a drunk driving accident ended his career. Golf became his second life, and Xander Schauffele became his mission. When the pro won Olympic gold in Tokyo in 2021, the emotion from his father at courtside told the whole story.

What makes this goal even more striking is how rarely Schauffele actually visits Augusta outside of tournament week. He has played the course only once outside of the Masters competition, during his rookie year, when the conditions were far from ideal. It was 45 degrees and hailing and raining. The golfer and his team were trying to write notes down on a piece of paper that was soaking wet.

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Despite that experience, he has never gone back for a practice visit. When asked whether he sees value in going early, Schauffele was candid about his approach. He referenced Tiger Woods’s philosophy of elevating certain shots heading into the week, knowing Augusta demands hitting cuts off hook lies and hooks off cut lies. But for Schauffele, the real preparation comes on the greens and only during tournament week.

That comfort with Augusta has shown up in his results. In 2019, he finished T2, shooting a 68 in the final round, one of the lowest rounds of the day, just behind Tiger Woods, who claimed his fifth Masters title. In 2021, he was firmly in contention late on Sunday before finding the water on the 16th hole, which ended his chances and left him with a T3 finish. A top-10 in 2023 further cemented his reputation as one of the most consistent performers at Augusta without yet having won.

Playing Augusta National with his father is not a casual ambition. It is the one thing left on a checklist they have been building together since he was nine. Schauffele’s form heading into Augusta looks promising: a four-under 68 at Bay Hill on Thursday put him in the mix at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

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Xander Schauffele was taken aback by Berger’s stunning 63 at Bay Hill

Bay Hill is not a course that hands out low scores. Winning totals since 2020 have ranged from four to nine under par for entire tournaments, which is exactly why Daniel Berger’s opening 63 stopped everyone in the field, including Xander Schauffele, in their tracks.

Schauffele, sitting four shots back after his own solid 68, did not hide his surprise when asked about Berger’s round.

“63 out here is, you’re doing… he must have hit 16 greens and birdied all the par fives and did some extracurricular with the putter,” he said, trying to piece together how Berger had pulled it off.

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What made Berger’s card even more remarkable was its clean nature. He did not drop a single shot all day, and six of his birdies came on the back nine alone, the harder stretch at Bay Hill. Going bogey-free around a course this demanding is an achievement in itself.

Xander Schauffele’s 68, meanwhile, keeps him well within striking distance. The reigning Open and PGA Championship winner has been building form steadily in recent weeks, and a four-under opening round at one of the Tour’s trickiest venues suggests his game is moving in the right direction at the right time of year.