The Claret Jug is, in fact, a jug.
And Xander Schauffele respected it as such.
“I had a little tequila there in Portugal,” he said. “I’ve had wine out of it, but not too much. I don’t drink a whole lot. I definitely drank more after a few championships last year.
“Yeah, bummer to give up the trophy this year. Looking forward to trying to get it back.”
Of course he would. Returning the Claret Jug means your run as Open Championship winner is over, and a new Open is here — and it will be starting Thursday at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland. And yet, should you want to know where Schauffele keeps the replica afforded to the winner, or any of his trophies, he’d be stumped. Tuesday, he guessed they were at his parents’ house. Don’t bother asking about his Olympic gold medal, either.
“I actually have no idea where that is, to be completely honest,” he said.
Schauffele’s not forgetful, though. Far from it, by all accounts. His trophy-less home is intentional — and the revelation finished a pre-tournament press conference day highlighted by a couple of peeks into what motivates. Starting things a short while earlier was Scottie Scheffler, who, after being asked how long he celebrated a win, or remained stuck on a defeat, spoke existentially for five minutes, ending his thought this way:
“I guess what I’m trying to say is this is not the place to look for your satisfaction. This is something where you can have a great appreciation for and a great — like a great amount of thankfulness for being able to do this. Like I said, it’s literally one of the most fun things I can do in my entire life. I love being able to come out here and compete, but at the end of the day, it’s not what satisfies me, if that makes sense.”
Schauffele would seemingly get it.
After a reporter asked him what his happiest moment was after winning last year’s Open, Schauffele said it came not on a course — but on a beach in Portugal with his wife, Maya. “I was pretty happy there,” he said. “Wasn’t really thinking much about winning a tournament the week before.” He said when you’re competitive, you think only about improvement and what’s next. Is the thought a good one? Schauffele himself questioned it, and said that fellow pro Keegan Bradley has implored him to celebrate more. “But right now,” he said, “I really want to keep my head down and keep charging.”
So things like trophies are held aloft, then handed off.
Really, though?
“What am I going to do with it?” Schauffele said. “I don’t really invite people over to my house. Am I just going to go look at it myself? That’s the way I feel about it. I don’t want to walk into a trophy room like, ‘Look how great I am.’ I was just raised to think that way, and it’s kind of stuck. I really don’t sit at home, you know what I mean?”
