Xander Schauffele clears rumours of his son being named after Viktor Hovland

Xander Schauffele (on the left) and Viktor Hovland (on the right) / Source: Getty Images
Xander Schauffele (on the left) and Viktor Hovland (on the right) / Source: Getty Images

Despite spending a winless season, Xander Schauffele automatically qualified for the American Ryder Cup squad. His third Ryder Cup appearance is more iconic because Schauffele recently became a father.

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The PGA Tour pro and his wife, Maya, welcomed their first child in August. As Schauffele recently attended the practice session at Bethpage with his team, he did not forget to bring this up while talking with the media. In his statement, Xander Schauffele talked about his son very fondly while mentioning his birthday.

"Yeah, I just had a kid. He's born on the 29th of August, a little man. His name is Victor."
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He also revealed that Victor, his son, was not named after his European Ryder Cup opponent Viktor Hovland. Xander Schauffele also revealed that 'Victor' happens to be his middle name.

"It's my middle name. No, I didn't name after Victor Hovland. I was Victor way before Victor was born, so it's been awesome."
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Schauffele, 31, was supposed to play in the 2025 Procore Championship as a preparation before the Ryder Cup. Although Xander Schauffele kept everything under wraps, it was NBC Sports' Kevin Kisner who revealed Maya's pregnancy during the BMW Championship broadcast. Later on, Schauffele confirmed the news via a message sent to Doug Ferguson of the Associated Press.

Ten golfers out of the 12-man American Ryder Cup squad were set to play at the Procore Championship. Xander Schauffele was the only PGA Tour pro who ended up skipping the event at Napa Valley. In fact, he was also the only Tour player who could not attend the dinner session at French Laundry held by Team USA captain Keegan Bradley.

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Xander Schauffele revealed how life has changed since becoming a father

Apart from confirming how his son was named, Schauffele talked at length about how his life has been lately. While talking to the reporters, the golfer revealed that he is lucky to have Maya and Victor. He also claimed that he is still learning how 'it's like to be a dad'. Xander Schauffele said (as quoted by PGA Tour):

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"It’s been awesome. I feel very lucky to have my wife. She’s at home with him right now. I miss him a bunch. It’s been cool to sort of learn what it’s like to be a dad, and I look forward to everything that comes with that."

While reflecting on his practice sessions with the American Ryder Cup squad, Schauffele claimed that he felt good. He also revealed how he practiced despite his absence at Procore.

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"I feel like after these two days, surprisingly playing kind of nice... I wasn’t able to make Napa... it was good to prepare at home on what was limited sleep but sort of a much clearer head than in-season."

Schauffele had to take a temporary break from golf at the beginning of the ongoing season due to his rib injury. As he steps into Ryder Cup week, the golfer has not played in any event since the BMW Championship in August. However, with an overall record of 4-4-0 in eight Ryder Cup matches, Schauffele stands as one of the most experienced golfers for the upcoming biennial contest.

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Edited by Pravashis Biswas
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