	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

WGC HSBC CHAMPIONS

October 28, 2018

Xander Schauffele

Shanghai, China

CHUAH CHOO CHIANG: Xander, what a day. Your first World Golf Championships, HSBC Champions win. Your third PGA TOUR victory and you move up to No. 1 on the FedExCup ranking.

What does this all mean to you right now?

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: It's a lot to take in honestly. I didn't have an incredible Asian Swing up until this point, so I think that flight home will be a little bit more special.

CHUAH CHOO CHIANG: You started the day three back of Tony and fought magnificently against Tony, and Rosey, as well, but those birdies on 17 and 18 put you into the playoff. Tell us about the mind-set when you stood on 17 tee.

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: It was attacking, obviously. I was the last to tee off on 17, and so I got to kind of see Rosey's and Tony's ball in the air, which helped, since obviously the wind has been a big factor this week, just trying to judge it.

It was a finish we needed, and it feels good to clutch up when necessary.

CHUAH CHOO CHIANG: Tell us about the playoff hole. Tony drove into the bunker. Did that give you a slight advantage, knowing that he was there and you had a chance to hit the green in two?

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Yeah, we had no idea. You know, playoff-wise, I just tried to stay in my own zone and try to do my own thing with my caddie.

But once we got up there, Tony got a bad break in a bunker, honestly. His ball looked like it should have splashed back in, and it sort of trickled back in -- in his own pitchmark. Looking at that, I knew just he's going to splash it out. He's so long, he's going to have a short iron in after he splashed it out. So I knew that I still needed to pull off a shot and hit the green.

You know, it was a hard-fought match, and it's a bummer, since Tony and I get along really well. I know he's going to win a lot soon, obviously, because he's playing so well. Regardless, I think we both had a lot of fun.

Q. Definitely you have a part-Chinese heritage here with your mother being half-Taiwanese, as well. How important is it to claim this victory here in China?
XANDER SCHAUFFELE: It means a lot. I think a lot more of it is that I was comfortable being out here in China. It's a long stretch, the three weeks in Asia, starting in Malaysia and then Korea.

I think it just helps making me feel more comfortable and hopefully attracting some more Chinese fans.

Q. Talking about your relationship with Tony Finau, having gone through a very fierce competition for the last spot in the Ryder Cup, and now getting back in the WGC-HSBC Champions here, does that mean something for you or something between you two?
XANDER SCHAUFFELE: No, not at all. Like I said before, Tony, we're good friends. I would say he's one of the guys I'm closer to out here. I always say he's one of the nicest guys I know on TOUR.

There's no rivalry or anything. You know, everyone just tries to beat everybody. It's not a big deal. You know, The Ryder Cup thing, he just played better than I did. He deserved his spot and he beat me straight-up, and everyone else who was looking for the position.

So no, there's nothing there.

Q. Celebrating your 25th birthday here in China during the HSBC Champions, 25 years old now with your mom with you, and also with a Chinese heritage, do you feel like this is a tournament that you have to win? And can you pick three key moments out of this week that are the most memorable to you?
XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Obviously we just won today, and I think we can give this tournament a good run in the future. Obviously when players out here win on courses, for whatever reason, it fits their eye, so we always enjoy coming back to them.

What was the second part of the question?

Q. Three key moments.
XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Probably having my family out. It's the first time we've been together in a pretty long time. That was pretty special and I'm happy to share this with them.

Other key moments, it's tricky. Everything we do is really repetitive, so it's hard to really pick out a specific moment. There are a few out on the course which were clutch, but besides that, I can't think of anything too significant.

Q. Your round of 68 was the lowest of the day. Did you feel that you had the momentum with you when you went into the playoff? And secondly, can you remember what Tony said to you as you finished?
XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Yeah, I felt like starting the day, Tony obviously had the lead. I can't really speak on that too much since I haven't had to hold a lot of leads in my career. I was definitely in sort of an attack mode, and I was hitting good shots all day, making good putts. I was doing everything that I needed to do.

So I felt really good about -- just about every part of my game mentally, physically. So with a 68, obviously, it was just enough. Obviously Tony played well, as well, but it's tricky to try and fend off when everyone is chasing you.

Yeah, Tony, he said congrats, just a genuine smile and a pat on the butt was pretty much it.

Q. What sort of advantage is it having your mother with you, and has she taken you anywhere special, and having her translate is that making it easier for you?
XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Yes, absolutely. Just anything from, you know, anything, honestly. Ordering food to asking for transportation to do something. It feels like I'm at home because everyone understands what she's asking, so she takes a load off me.

Q. Is this your first visit back to this region with your mum?
XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Yeah, since last year.

CHUAH CHOO CHIANG: You just spoke now on the green that you were excited to go back to the Maui to the Sentry Tournament of Champions. What's special about that tournament?

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: It just means that you've won, honestly. That's pretty much it. Everyone there is in a good mood. You're in Hawai'i, Tournament of Champions. Just the title itself, you're celebrating your success, which is always something nice to do.

CHUAH CHOO CHIANG: And Justin Rose, after winning here last year, he went on to win the FedExCup. Is that going to be a new goal for you as you move to 2019?

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: I wouldn't say it's a new goal. Maybe it's more realistic than it was yesterday. It's on the back of all our minds to hold that FedExCup trophy at the end of the year. You know, it's a big deal nowadays, or it was even when it started. So we all want that just as much as a major, and yeah, I guess this is a good start.

Q. You talked out there how you were hoping to win in 2018 to justify your big rookie year. How does that change that? Do you feel like you justified yourself?
XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Yes. Yeah, absolutely. People can say whatever they want, but you know, my team and I, we know that we're doing the right things, and it feels good to know that. It just feels good to win again. Those two wins were pretty close in my rookie year and I didn't really know what I was doing. Not that I had a clue of what I was doing today, but it's a lot of fun. You practise, you play hard, and you do everything that you can to get in this position and it honestly is a great feeling to pull it off.

Q. Looking back on hole 18, the two times that you successfully put the ball on the green, and you were staying very calm, not getting overly too excited. How did you do that? Is it because that you are coming from a family with a very big sports background, such as your grandfather, a European football player, and your father is also an athlete, as well? Does that help you to be so calm handling all the game? And after you win this trophy now, is there anything that you want to say to your family?
XANDER SCHAUFFELE: To the first part, yeah, I feel like it does help. My dad has been my only swing coach my whole life, as well as my mental coach. A lot of breathing and things he taught me when I was younger were put in play. I was pretty nervous after I birdied 17 on the walk over to 18.

To hit the fairway was a good feeling. I just tried to put all my nervous energy into my shot. It was nice to hit on 18, the 72nd hole and in the playoff those shots. Felt really good.

And the second part, my family, thank you. Thanks for being my rock and giving me stability and never quitting on me. Always just believing in me. They always have my back, even if I'm not too kind to them or someone else. You know, I won't forget it.

CHUAH CHOO CHIANG: You played a lot of college golf with Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas. Do you feel like your first World Golf Championships win here will provide you with a catalyst, with a push to try and keep up with them, because they have a few more wins in advance of you?

XANDER SCHAUFFELE: Yeah, I feel like they are still quite a bit ahead of me. They have both become No. 1 player in the world. This definitely helps but I'm not even close to doing that yet. But yeah, I think any win you can put under your belt is going to keep me closer to what I consider the two best in our class, or in my class of 2011.

Q. On 18th green when Rosey hit your ball, you both went into the water. Did you feel he was passing you good luck? What were you thinking at the moment?
XANDER SCHAUFFELE: I panicked a bit honestly when I didn't see my golf ball there. I looked on the big screen and saw that they collided. You know, that actually makes it sound a lot nicer than it was.

CHUAH CHOO CHIANG: Congratulations once again.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297