The image is seared into golf history. Xander Schauffele stood on Valhalla’s 18th green in May 2024, arms wrapped around his father Stefan, both men overcome with emotion. The 6-foot putt had just dropped for birdie, sealing his first major championship with the lowest 72-hole score ever recorded. Stefan wasn’t there to witness it—he was in Hawaii, crying on the phone so hard that Xander had to hang up before the trophy presentation. But the promise his son made that day echoed loudly: “We’re going to get another.”

Schauffele’s bond with his father is one of a kind. The clip was released on Sunday at 6:30 AM, racking up 47.7K views almost instantly, reiterating that. Xander and Stefan sat together, flipping through old family photos, revisiting the multicultural roots and tight-knit bonds that shaped a champion. The first image showed a two-year-old Xander with his mother, dated 1995.

“My dad plays a very unique role, obviously with several hats,” Xander reflected in the video. “But my mom is where the love and support really is.” Another photo emerged—his mother, Ping-Yi, in a kimono in Japan.

Stefan called it “a rarity,” highlighting her complex cultural identity. Born in Taiwan but raised in Tokyo from age 4, she moved to the US for college. That’s where their love story began. Stefan and Ping-Yi crossed paths at a university event in San Diego on May 5, 1988. Three months later, they married on August 5th. “There was chemistry, you know, just, it clicked,” Stefan explained.

The cultural blend became Xander’s foundation. “Her mindset is really a Japanese mindset,” Stefan noted. “And a Japanese mindset and a German mindset, when it comes to self-discipline and to certain other things in how you regiment your life, are quite similar.”

Then came the moment that hit hardest. Xander revealed he’s the only natural-born American citizen in his family. “I realize how cool it is to be an American just when my dad became an American citizen and my mom did, and sort of the emotion that overcame them.” Stefan’s vision was always clear—a tight-knit family, bound by sacrifice and love.

That tight-knit family is now in Japan, where the video’s timing carries extra weight. Xander sits tied for the lead at 12-under par heading into Sunday’s final round at the Baycurrent Classic. His grandparents are there, watching. His mother’s homeland surrounds him. “It would be special, obviously, my grandparents here, my mom growing up here with her brother as well,” he said after Saturday’s round. “This is the first time I’ve been in contention all year, I believe, so it’s nice. Been playing pretty good golf.”

That vow felt distant throughout 2025. Zero wins. Only three top-10 finishes. A rib injury that derailed everything.

Xander Schauffele’s 2025: The statistical reality check

The numbers tell a brutal story. Xander won two majors in 2024—the PGA Championship and The Open Championship. He finished 2nd in the FedEx Cup. His scoring average across all four majors was 32-under par, including 66 birdies in 16 rounds.

Fast forward to 2025. Zero wins in 15 events. World ranking: 4th. FedEx Cup standing: 42nd. His own assessment at the Genesis Scottish Open cut deep: “I’ve backed it up currently with the worst year of my career.”

The culprit? A rib injury was sustained around Christmas 2024. What seemed like a minor twinge at The Sentry became an intercostal strain with a cartilage tear. He missed two months. His first significant injury ever.

The statistics expose the struggle. Strokes Gained Putting: -0.184, ranking 129th on tour. Scoring average: 70.3. Only his approach play (12th on tour) showed flashes of his major-winning form.

The family foundation Stefan and Ping-Yi built—that blend of Japanese and German discipline, that unwavering support—is being tested this week in Japan. But as that PGA Tour video showed, some bonds don’t break. Can Xander channel his family’s strength into his first victory of 2025?