KAWAGOE, Japan: Xander Schauffele had more than thoughts of a medal inspiring him to gold at Tokyo 2020 on Sunday.
The world number five golfer was driven on by his father’s lost Olympic opportunity, and the 30 or more members of his Japanese extended family, including his maternal grandparents, who would have been on the course to cheer his every shot had there been spectators allowed.
American Schauffele won by a shot from surprise silver medallist Rory Sabbatini of Slovakia, with Taiwan’s C.T. Pan taking bronze after an epic seven-man playoff.
The 27-year-old Schauffele, a four-time winner on the US PGA Tour, has a family heritage that straddles the globe.
He says he was brought up culturally more Japanese because his Taiwanese mother ws brought up in Japan.
“My fellow countryman (Pan) is right next to me,” he laughed at the medallists’ press conference.
“We got a worldly deal. France, Germany, Taiwan, a little bit of Japan. My mom was born in Taiwan, so actually by blood I’m half-Taiwanese.
“My mom grew up in Japan from the age of four... and my grandparents have been in Japan ever since. So I have a family split between Taiwan and Japan.”
And that means normally it’s family party time whenever he arrives in the Land of the Rising Sun, at least when there are no Covid restrictions or states of emergency in force for his largely Tokyo-based relatives.
But Schauffele’s heritage spans far more than the US and the Far East. His father Stefan, who is half-French, was a top decathlete for Germany who never got to realize his own dreams of Games glory.
Stefan’s car was hit by a drunk-driver four decades ago on his way to Olympic training, shattering his sporting ambitions in an instant as he suffered multiple injuries including the loss of sight in his left eye.
Schauffele, the 2017 US PGA Tour Rookie of the Year, was proud to have won the medal for Team USA but pointed out he was the only member of his family who is actually American.
“I’m the only natural-born citizen in my family, being born in the United States,” he smiled. Schauffele’s brother, Nico, was born in Stuttgart, Germany, and he says his globe-trotting family background gives him a great perspective on life.
“I think that me being very international it’s taught me a lot about different cultures and it’s made me understanding of different cultures,” said Schauffele, who has made more than a dozen visits to Japan.
“I think that if everyone sort of had the ability to travel more and experience other cultures they would be more willing to get along, potentially.”
Silver medallist Sabbatini, born in Durban, South Africa, and now playing for Slovakia, was full of praise for Schauffele.
“Xander, never mind his golf game, probably one of the nicest gentlemen I’ve ever met. Always hospitable, you can tell he was raised right,” said Sabbatini, who shot an incredible final-round 61 to snatch a shock medal.
Schauffele had suffered the agony of losing out in the final pairing of the Masters to Hideki Matsuyama at Augusta, but hoped Japan would forgive him for turning the tables to register his first win since the 2020 Tour Championship.
“I can’t speak for the Japanese people, I’m sure my grandparents are very happy,” he said.
“But they may be the only people in Japan who were pulling for me, rather than Hideki.”
From Japan to Germany: Golf’s Olympic gold medal winner Xander Schauffele’s roots span the globe
https://arab.news/zmgr8
From Japan to Germany: Golf’s Olympic gold medal winner Xander Schauffele’s roots span the globe
- American Schauffele won by a shot from surprise silver medallist Rory Sabbatini of Slovakia
- 27-year-old Schauffele, a four-time winner on the US PGA Tour, has a family heritage which includes Japan
Pakistan-born Australian Khawaja, set to retire from cricket, criticizes racial stereotypes
- Usman Khawaja said he felt he was treated ‘a little bit different, even to now,’ because of his Pakistan and Muslim background
- Khawaja was criticized in the days leading up to the Perth match for golfing twice, not taking part in an optional training session
Veteran Australia batter Usman Khawaja has announced he will retire from international cricket after the fifth Ashes test beginning Sunday at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
He didn’t go quietly.
The Pakistan-born Khawaja, who was the first Muslim to play for Australia, used his retirement announcement Friday to criticize the “racial” stereotyping he experienced during his career.
It will be the 39-year-old Khawaja’s 88th and final test — played at the ground where he began his first-class career. Khawaja scored his first Ashes century at the SCG with 171 against England in 2018.
It was also at that the SCG where he revived his career at age 35, scoring two centuries against England. That prompted one of the great late-career revivals, as Khawaja hit seven centuries in his next two years back in the side.
But Khawaja’s position had come under scrutiny and criticism this season after being unable to open in the first Ashes test in Perth due to back spasms and then missing the Brisbane test with the injury.
He was then initially left out in Adelaide until Steve Smith’s vertigo allowed Khawaja to return, before an 82 in the first innings there ensured he would stay in the side for the fourth test in Melbourne. Australia, with a 3-1 lead going into the fifth test, has retained the Ashes.
Khawaja said he felt he was treated “a little bit different, even to now,” because of his Pakistan and Muslim background.
“Different in the way I’ve been treated, different in how things have happened,” he said at a media conference in Sydney. “I had back spasms, it was something I couldn’t control. The way the media and the past players came out and attacked me . . . I copped it for about five days straight. Everyone was piling in.
“Once the racial stereotypes came in, of me being lazy, it was things I’ve dealt with my whole life. Pakistani, West Indian, colored players...we’re selfish, we only care about ourselves, we don’t care about the team, we don’t train hard enough.”
Khawaja was criticized in the days leading up to the Perth match for golfing twice and not taking part in an optional training session. Some commentators suggested the golf might have been responsible for his back issues.
“I can give you countless number of guys who have played golf the day before a match and have been injured, but you guys haven’t said a thing,” Khawaja told the assembled media.
“I can give you even more examples of guys who have had 15 schooners (large glasses of beer) the night before a game and have then been injured, but no one said a word because they were just being ‘Aussie larrikins,’ they were just being lads. But when I get injured, everyone went at my credibility and who I am as a person.”
Khawaja said he knew the end of his career was imminent.
“I guess moving into this series, I had an inkling this would be the last series,” he said. “I’m glad I can go out on my own terms.”
Khawaja has scored 6,206 runs at an average of 43.49 in his 87 tests with 16 centuries and 28 half-centuries.
“Usman has made a huge contribution to Australian cricket both through his outstanding achievements as one of our most stylish and resilient batters . . . and off field, particularly through the Usman Khawaja Foundation,” Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenberg said in a statement.
“Usman has been one of Australia’s most reliable opening batters and testament to his success was him being named ICC test cricketer of the year the same season that Australia won the World Test Championship (in 2023).”
Khawaja said his No. 1 emotion on announcing his retirement was “contentment.”
“I’m very lucky to have played so many games for Australia the way I have,” Khawaja said. “I hope I have inspired people along the way.”
