Xander Schauffele is currently in Paris, fulfilling his father’s dream yet again after his win at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Confused much? Well, we’ve got the explanation. It all started in 1986, when Xander Schauffele’s father, Stefan Schauffele’s, life took a dramatic turn for the worse. A drunk driver crashed into his car, leaving him with devastating injuries that shattered his dreams of becoming an Olympic decathlete. 

The nightmare didn’t stop there; he underwent six eye surgeries. One can only imagine what that many surgeries would do to a human eye. And it was clear that his ability to see was lost forever, just like his athletic career. Blinded in the left eye, Schauffele struggled with addiction, feeling like he’d lost his sense of purpose. But, as he describes it, he eventually “stepped out of the fog” and began to accept his new reality. He started helping out his son in golf and, with time, became his coach. 

Stefan Schauffele, aka “The Ogre,” may have lost his Olympic decathlon dreams to the devastating car accident, but what he hasn’t lost is everyone’s respect. He’s a mastermind in the golf world and an inspiration to many. The Ogre is a living example, showing us that with hard work and determination, we can overcome challenges and turn our dreams into reality.

Stefan Schauffele refused to let tragedy take a toll on him. Every day, he woke up with a positive mindset. He believed this accident was his rock bottom, but instead of giving up, he said, “It can’t get any worse, so from here on out, it’s all good.” And that’s exactly what happened. He had faith that life could improve after the accident and that faith gave him the strength to make new choices.

Stefan Schauffele’s life story after the accident

Stefan Schauffele and his family left Germany and started fresh in America. The new start was scary for him, but he fought it through with a smile on his face. He became focused on helping his sons, Xander Schauffele and Nicolas Schauffele, achieve their dreams. “I became determined to ensure that my boys would find out how far they can go. In fact, I became obsessed with it,” he said when telling his story for Xander Schauffele’s website. And things did get better in the end.

And years later, Stefan’s efforts paid off in the most incredible way. How, you ask? Well, it happened when he witnessed his son wearing the 2020 Tokyo Olympics medal. The competition saw the nine-time PGA Tour winner hold off Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama by a single stroke as he worked his way towards the epic victory. And surprisingly, when he was making the putt, he knew a man was watching him with tears in his eyes—no one but his own father.

“I did think of him as soon as I made the putt,” he told the PGA website. “I knew he was going to be there crying.” This long-awaited win was definitely a milestone for the  Schauffele family. With golf tournaments starting soon in the 2024 Paris Olympics, do you think former Olympic champion Xander Schauffele will be able to secure another win? Let us know in the comment section below!