3 hours ago 2

New dad Xander Schauffele 'surprisingly playing kind of nice' after long layoff

For the record, Xander Schauffele did not name his first born after Viktor Hovland.

Victor is Schauffele’s middle name.

“I was Victor way before Viktor was born,” Schauffele said.

Since Victor came into this world on Aug. 29, Schauffele hasn’t competed on the golf course. He skipped the Procore Championship two weeks ago, while 10 of his 11 teammates – all but the ineligible Bryson DeChambeau – made the trip to Napa to keep the rust off.

Schauffele is solo this week on Long Island, as his wife, Maya, is back home in Jupiter, Florida, with Victor.

“I feel very lucky to have my wife,” Schauffele said. “She’s at home with him right now. I miss him a bunch. I had to sort of rip the Band-Aid when I was leaving the house, just kiss him on the forehead and walk out before I started staring at him. 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.”

Much of the criticism after the Americans’ loss two years ago in Rome was the lack of reps entering the Ryder Cup. Schauffele will have even more than the four weeks he had off then, as he failed to qualify for the Tour Championship this year. His last start was the BMW Championship, which ended Aug. 17.

“Golf-wise, obviously didn’t do a whole lot of golf for a bit, having him and trying to be a good teammate to my wife, because that’s kind of all us guys can do early on,” Schauffele said. “I feel like after these two days, surprisingly playing kind of nice. I know, I surprised myself when I came out. … But it was good to prepare at home on what was limited sleep but sort of a much clearer head than in season.”