Why Xander Schauffele calls his mom ‘hamster’ – and how her Asian roots molded a golf star

On an autumnal Tuesday morning in Komaba, Japan, a small and quiet neighborhood nestled a short walk away from the bustling Shibuya scramble, several schoolchildren rushed to beat the 8:15 a.m. starting bell at Komaba Elementary. They wore yellow bucket hats and toted colorful, oversized leather school bags. The cadence suggested a typical Tuesday.

Yet on this Tuesday, an out-of-place, tall man with broad shoulders emerged alongside the children, flanked by a tiny woman, comparable in size to some of them. The schoolchildren likely didn’t realize their connection to the world’s second-ranked golfer.

Ping-Yi Chen, better known in the golf world nowadays by her more famous family moniker, Schauffele, returned to Komaba for the first time in over 25 years, reflecting on her childhood there and the Asian values and lessons that were passed along to one of golf’s preeminent talents.

“My mom was pretty strict, when it came to homework and certain things of that nature,” Xander Schauffele said at the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP, his sixth start at Japan’s PGA TOUR event. “My parents would go about it differently and I felt the Asian side from my mom, making sure that we were on top of all our stuff and being tough in that manner.”

“I honestly think we made our kids really kind of strict because … you know Asian upbringings,” Ping-Yi said jokingly. “We made sure that our kids are following the rules. I mean sorry, but not sorry because they turned out to be okay.”

No argument there.

Ping-Yi was born in Chinese Taipei but moved to Tokyo at age 4 after her father first came to the country as an exchange student, and she stayed in Japan until finishing junior college, after which she moved to the U.S. for university.

“I’m not even sure of my identity, to be honest with you,” Ping-Yi said. “I am Chinese but grew up in Japan. I spent most of my school years in Japan. So, I would say the way I think about things is closer to Japanese than Chinese, but I can’t say that I am Japanese either, but there are many things I love about Japan.

“My first memory of being in Japan, I remember when I started kindergarten, I couldn't really speak Japanese yet. But my kindergarten friend brought me a crayon and handed it to me, and we sat next to each other and drew pictures together.”

Naturally, these instances of kindness and respect influenced her parenting style.

“He (Xander) is kind to everyone and very polite,” Ping-Yi said. “I never planned to raise him that way, but I grew up in Japan, so I guess I just naturally raised my boys from a young age the same way I was raised. I think Xander was definitely influenced by Japanese culture even though he may not have realized or even known that it was happening that way.”

“No, I felt it, I felt it,” her son said lightheartedly.

“I feel a little sorry for the children because I think it must have been very difficult to be raised by a German father and a Chinese mother,” responded Ping-Yi.

Hard work. Honesty. Integrity. Homework-first. Removing your shoes before entering a home. Respecting your elders.

These little things set the foundation for Schauffele’s esteemed career that now includes nine PGA TOUR wins, an Olympic gold medal, two major championships and five U.S. Team appearances between the Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup.

“My dad's half French, half German, and my mom was born in (Chinese Taipei) and grew up here in Japan,” Schauffele said, “so discipline and focus were sort of staples and pillars and even though it was sort of cross-culture, those were very common denominators that sat in our family.

Despite the disciplinary manner of rearing their children, the Schauffele home was filled with love, lots of laughter and affection that Xander and his older brother Nico found safety and comfort in.

Most are familiar with the family patriarch, Stefan, the “Ogre,” whose outward appearance may seem quite intimidating, but on the inside is a proud father with a bit of a soft side, as the world noticed when he shied away from the cameras, fighting back tears, as his son won The Open Championship this past July.

As for the soft-spoken and ever-present mother, Ping-Yi, her own endearing nickname was branded by her youngest son.

“My mom’s very little. At times during mine and my brother’s childhood, she held onto certain items,” Schauffele said. “And for some reason, one day I just called her a hamster because sometimes hamsters put stuff in their mouth and hold on to it and they'll kind of move around, and they're adorable. So I figured it was a good name for her.”

“It’s because I love eating and I’m always a bit restless and running around here and there,” Ping-Yi happily replied. “Ever since then, he just calls me hamster. He doesn't call me mom anymore.”

Despite the strict upbringing, Schauffele was not averse to finding trouble on his own.

“I was mischievous, you know. I was up to no good,” Schauffele said. “My brother was much more by-the-book, and I don't know who I got that from, but I definitely would hide in stores, like, on clothing racks. I would hide in them, from my brother and my mom, because I thought it was hilarious.”

“One time, we were in a group of people talking and then all of a sudden Xander is gone!” Ping-Yi recalled. “And we're like, ‘Where did he go?’ We couldn't find him and then we hear this 'hehehehe' kind of laughing and then we look up and he climbed up on the light pole and we were like, ‘Oh my god, come down right now!’ and he was just smiling as he was coming down. It was unbelievable. He was like a monkey.

“He loved climbing up. Like every time when you go pick him up in the school, he was always on the monkey bars. Every single day.”

Ping-Yi raised her two boys in the U.S. but did not want them to lose their Asian roots. Most years when they were children, she would take Xander and Nico back to Japan to visit with family, creating memories that have lived on.

Back in Komaba, Ping-Yi and Stefan wandered the storefront streets near Komaba-todaimae station, dotted with numerous mom-and-pop restaurants, the local butcher and barber shops, convenience stores and even Ping-Yi’s favorite stationary store where every morning she would stop and admire all the different pens and notebooks while saying hello to the store owner on her way to elementary school.

Eventually they passed by what used to be an old family favorite, the Takoyaki stand (octopus dumplings) that was a near-daily staple of their vacations back to Japan.

“I remember being a kid and wanting to cruise down there pretty much every day,” Schauffele said. “I remember going down this hill … the opening to the wall was the size of like a golf cart. Maybe two golf cart shields. That's how big it was. You know, they'd cook it right in front of you. It’s just not something we really get in the States.”

In Asian cultures, family ties bridge the past and future. Although Schauffele has risen to elite status in professional golf, the connection to his mother and her own Japanese roots remains constant, with Schauffele now creating his own ties back to the country where it all started.

“I felt the Asian side from my mom, making sure that we were on top of all our stuff, and being tough in that manner,” Schauffele said. “I’d definitely say that upbringing helped when it comes to being successful on the golf course.”

Schauffele stayed in that same Komaba apartment several years later when making his professional debut.

“From a young age, I remember it being very family oriented,” he added. “And then as I got older, you know, my first professional event was in Japan. So I guess my love for Japan has grown.”

Last week marked the sixth iteration of the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP hosted just outside of Tokyo. Schauffele has played in all six, continuing to create his own memories in the country that was home to Ping-Yi, whose Asian values and influences helped produce one of the world’s top golfers.

“I would say my relationship with Xander is more like good friends rather than parent and child,” Ping-Yi said. “What makes me very proud is that even though he won the gold medal at the Olympics or has become very famous, he is still the same old Xander. He’s still kind and gentle and always thinking about others. That has not changed.”