Watching Xander Schauffele play is like standing in a quiet art gallery. At first glance, it might seem subdued, but you know a masterpiece lies within each stroke. He is well known for his tough guy image, and is not the one to show emotions that often! He shot a historic 62 at Valhalla on the first day. His response was kind of emotionless. “It’s just Thursday, that’s about it. It’s a great start to a big tournament. One I’m obviously always going to take.” At least that’s what the world thought, until now.

Recently, a podcast with Bob Does Sports broke through Schauffele’s popular outer shell and revealed his emotional side when Bob asked a straightforward question: “Do you get emotional? You cry?”And there you go! Schauffele admitted that he embraces both happy and sad moments pretty well. “Ya, I’m always down for a good cry,” he said. Then he added, “I don’t like when girls cry next to me; it makes me…” and he trailed off, leaving you wondering. 

Bob chimed in, “Why? You don’t know what to do or say?” trying to dive deeper into Schauffele’s feelings. That’s when Schauffele dropped a sweet line that might leave you in awe. “It makes me… emotional too, you know? Like if my wife ever cries, it makes me like – OH MAN!” the 31-year-old husband revealed, opening up his softer side. 

Schauffele met his wife, Maya, in 2014 when they were both students at San Diego State University. It was Maya who actually opened her heart, and made him confident; “I never thought I could play golf at a high level and care about someone else besides myself. It’s pretty special to care for someone else that way and to have that someone care for you,” he mentioned in 2021. When your wife is your best friend, you do get emotional when you see tears in her eyes. 

The entire conversation left Bob somewhat speechless; Schauffele wrapped it up perfectly, “I have a heart; that’s what you wanna say?” Bob nodded in agreement, looking kind of amazed to see Schauffele embracing his emotional side. It was a great moment, showing that behind that calm and collected exterior, there’s a guy who feels deeply. But seeing women cry is not the only time when a 2x major winner shows emotion. He feels emotional after heartbreaking losses, and heartening wins too.

A journey of triumphs and cries in Xander Schauffele’s life

Schauffele might look like a hard-to-break guy. But after breaking the 2024 Wanamaker Trophy, the 31-year-old opened up about his vulnerable moments. He recalled times he cried in “dark corners of motel rooms” just because he wanted that push to keep going. Edging out Bryson DeChambeau was a breakthrough moment, given his two-year win drought, and marking first major victory.

Elaborating on the times he felt emotional, he said after his 2024 PGA Championship win, “I had some serious feelings of performance anxiety. My caddie Austin and my family dropped everything to try and help me. I felt the weight of that on me, plus I was performing poorly. I wasn’t sure if this would work out. That’s where my head was at.”

But that’s not all! Schauffele also revealed his softer side when he narrowly missed an Olympic win by just one stroke. He was disappointed after a final-round 75 at Le Golf National, which cost him a medal. “It’s weird; I’m not going to lie. It’s the weirdest feeling,” Schauffele admitted at the FedEx St. Jude Championship.

Interestingly, Schauffele also shared his emotional response to Scottie Scheffler‘s tearful win. “I was butt-hurt about my own round,” Schauffele said. “But then I was sitting there like, ‘Yeah, this is pretty cool.'” When asked about his finishing round in Paris, Schauffele candidly cut off the questioner, saying, “It was bad.”

This depth of emotion adds another layer to Xander Schauffele’s character, showcasing that alongside the tough exterior lies a man who experiences life, victory, and loss with a full heart.