Xander Schauffele Reveals the Reason He Isn't Playing With U.S. Ryder Cup Team This Week

Schauffele is the only member of the U.S. Ryder Cup team eligible to play this week in Napa who elected to skip the event.
Xander Schauffele will next tee up at the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black.
Xander Schauffele will next tee up at the Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black. / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

NAPA, Calif. — Xander Schauffele is the only member of the U.S. Ryder Cup team who is eligible and not competing this week at the Procore Championship. And he’s got a good reason: he just became a dad.

Schauffele told the Associated Press in a text message that his wife, Maya, recently gave birth to a boy named Viktor. Schauffele had not previously made public his wife’s pregnancy.

U.S. captain Keegan Bradley requested that members of his team play this week as a way to stay competitive between the Tour Championship and the Ryder Cup, which begins in 17 days at Bethpage Black.

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The other 10 players on the team who are eligible are here at the Silverado Resort, where the Procore Championship begins Thursday. The event is the first of seven FedEx Fall events that will help determine playing eligibility next year for players who finished outside of the top 50 in the FedEx Cup standings.

Bryson DeChambeau is not playing because his LIV Golf League status makes him ineligible. But he was expected to attend a team meeting and dinner on Tuesday night.

Schauffele, who won two major championship in 2024, is coming off a frustrating season that saw him miss nearly two months with a rib injury. He had just three top-10 finishes and failed to qualify for the Tour Championship for the first time in his career.


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Bob Harig
BOB HARIG

Bob Harig is a senior writer covering golf for Sports Illustrated. He has more than 25 years experience on the beat, including 15 at ESPN. Harig is a regular guest on Sirius XM PGA Tour Radio and has written two books, "DRIVE: The Lasting Legacy of Tiger Woods" and "Tiger and Phil: Golf's Most Fascinating Rivalry." He graduated from Indiana University where he earned an Evans Scholarship, named in honor of the great amateur golfer Charles (Chick) Evans Jr. Harig, a former president of the Golf Writers Association of America, lives in Clearwater, Fla.