Following his first major win at the 2025 U.S. Open, J.J. Spaun took the 18-inch-tall, sterling silver trophy to every interview. “My mind is still racing. It’s going to sink in probably tomorrow,” Spaun said, trophy in hand. One of his daughters said at the sight of Spaun carrying the trophy, “Daddy won. He has a trophy now.” The point? For the 2025 U.S. Open champ (and his family), the trophy means everything was worth it. And so, Spaun expects major champions to cherish their trophies like he does, which Xander Schauffele didn’t.

How? Although Schauffele returned the Claret Jug upon arriving at Royal Portrush for his title defense, he isn’t sure where his other trophies are. In an interview ahead of The Open, Schauffele mentioned, “Probably in a bank vault, like one of the trophies was when they travel.” In fact, he doesn’t even know where his 2021 Tokyo Olympic medal is: “I actually have no idea where that is, to be completely honest.” But why? He explained, “I don’t want to walk into a trophy room like, ‘Look how great I am.’ I was just raised to think that way, and it’s kind of stuck.”

J.J. Spaun doesn’t buy this attitude, however. During a press conference before The Open, the 34-year-old pro started by discussing what he did after winning the U.S. Open: “We all shared some drinks out of it on Sunday night after the U.S. Open in Oakmont. Fun stories, no.” But, for J.J. Spaun, “it was kind of cool showing it [trophy] off.” And then came his verdict on Schauffele’s attitude towards his trophies.

Spaun said during the presser, “I think Xander, I saw something today, he doesn’t even know where his trophies are. It is kind of a weird thing. You get the trophy, and you admire it for a day or two, and it just sits there or maybe it goes into a bank vault like he said. I’m going to have mine on display.” Interestingly, Xander Schauffele does keep something on display, however. Not trophies, but pictures of winning those trophies.

Talking about the same, Schauffele said ahead of The Open, “My wife hung up some pictures of me in my gym of me winning the Olympic medal, and she put it so high up I can’t reach it.” But if it were up to Schauffele, he would do something entirely different: “I’m always late, so maybe a clock would be good for me.” 

But you’d be surprised to know Xander Schauffele isn’t the only pro to have this attitude. At the 2018 Travelers Championship, for instance, Brooks Koepka gave cryptic answers to the whereabouts of his trophies. First, he said, “It’s [U.S. Open trophy] at my house. It’s just chillin’.” Then, he explained, “I was trying to sleep so much, I left it, I think, on the kitchen counter. I don’t even know.”

But, hey, let’s hope that if Xander Schauffele goes on to grab his second The Open title this season, he’ll show a similar attitude to J.J. Spaun’s!

Xander Schauffele is “very much looking forward” to defending The Open title

Xander Schauffele described his win at last year’s The Open as the sweetest of his life – and with a Montecristo in one hand and tequila on the rocks in the other, who could argue? However, amid a season of frustrating form and injuries, he admits that successfully defending his title would surpass his triumph at Royal Troon (2024).

While not as dominant as Rory McIlroy or as relentless as Scottie Scheffler, Schauffele, at his best, is a formidable competitor. Even Scheffler, a seven-time winner last season, acknowledged Schauffele’s superior performance, stating that he had to doff his cap (“hats off to him for being so consistent,” Scheffler stated in 2024) to his friend.

But this year has been challenging for Schauffele, with an intercostal strain and cartilage tear sidelining him for two months. Although he started the major season with a top-10 finish at the Masters, he has struggled since, with only one other top-10 finish all year, the 2025 Travelers Championship (T8). Ahead of his title defense at The Open, Schauffele stated, “I’ve never successfully defended any tournament that I’ve won in the past, so I’m very much looking forward to it.”

He added, “If I could do it at a major, especially The Open, it would be really incredible.” But he has only one goal at Royal Portrush: “If I can get myself in the mix is when I think I would have an advantage.” Hopefully, we can see a successful title defense from him and a better treatment of his trophies!