Xander Schauffele Dating History: From College Sweetheart to Wife Maya – Full Timeline
By Ali Hammad November 20, 2025 10:27
On a sport’s biggest stages, Xander Schauffele has become golf’s unflappable assassin: back-to-back major champion in 2024 (PGA at Valhalla, Open at Royal Troon), Olympic gold medalist in Tokyo, and the man who finally ended a 0-for-51 major drought with the clutch gene of a young Tiger. His 2025 season? Already six top-10s worldwide, a T3 at the Masters, and a career earnings mark north of $58 million before turning 32. Yet for all the laser-guided 8-irons and ice-water veins, Schauffele’s greatest par-5 in regulation might be the one he’s played off the course: a decade-plus love story with Maya Lowe that began in a college cafeteria and has somehow stayed almost entirely out of the tabloids.
No A-list actresses. No Vegas nightclub sightings. No messy breakups. Just one girl, one dog named Chief, and a relationship timeline so drama-free it feels like a unicorn in professional golf.
2014 – The San Diego State Meet-Cute Schauffele, a lanky 20-year-old transfer from Long Beach State, walked into the Aztec dining hall looking for the weight room. Maya Lowe then a 21-year-old grad student in public health from UNLV was grabbing coffee with friends. Their mutual buddy Austin Kaiser (now Schauffele’s caddie) did the introduction. “She thought I was a freshman because I looked 16,” Xander laughed on the No Laying Up podcast in 2023. “I had the Justin Bieber haircut and zero game.” Maya’s first impression, per a 2024 Golf Digest feature: “He was super quiet, polite, and kept staring at the floor. I thought he was shy turns out he’s just always been that way.”
They started dating almost immediately. Maya transferred to SDSU to finish her master’s; Xander was grinding to make the Aztecs’ lineup. Date nights were Chipotle burritos and study sessions in the library. “We were broke college kids,” Maya said. “I paid for half the dates. He still owes me $11.73 from a bet on the 2015 Farmers Insurance Open.”
2016–2018 – Long-Distance and the Mini-Tour Grind Schauffele turned pro in 2015, missed his first five cuts, and spent most of 2016 on the Web.com Tour (now Korn Ferry) sleeping in his Chevy Tahoe to save money. Maya, working toward her doctorate in healthcare administration, stayed in San Diego. “It sucked,” Xander admitted after winning the 2017 Greenbrier. “I’d drive eight hours from a tournament in Ohio just to see her for 36 hours, then drive back.” Maya flew to as many events as her schedule allowed. She was in the gallery when he earned his PGA Tour card with a T4 at the 2016 Web.com Tour Championship the same week he proposed the idea of her quitting her hospital job to travel full-time. She said yes to the lifestyle, not yet the ring.
2019 – The Almost-Proposal and First Big Paydays Schauffele’s breakout (Rookie of the Year 2017, Tour Championship winner 2017, WGC-HSBC 2018) meant real money. He bought a house in Las Vegas; Maya moved in. Chief, their goldendoodle, arrived shortly after. Xander planned to propose on a Hawaiian vacation in December 2019 ring in pocket, sunset cliff walk booked but got cold feet. “I chickened out,” he told Golfweek. “I was scared she’d say no even though I knew she wouldn’t.” He finally popped the question in their backyard in November 2020, COVID-style: string lights, takeout sushi, and a 3.5-carat oval diamond he’d carried around for a year. Maya’s reaction, per her Instagram: “Still crying. Forever yes.”
2021 – Olympic Gold and Tokyo Tears The Tokyo Olympics delayed the wedding plans, but delivered one of their defining moments. Xander won gold by one stroke over Rory Sabbatini, then FaceTimed Maya from the medal podium at 3 a.m. Hawaii time. She was screaming so loud the neighbors texted to check if everything was okay. “I wish I could’ve hugged her right then,” he said in the post-round press conference, voice cracking. “This one’s for her as much as me.”
June 2024 – The Wedding After two COVID postponements, Xander and Maya finally tied the knot on June 12, 2024 three weeks after his PGA Championship breakthrough and six weeks before his Open triumph. The ceremony was held at a private estate outside Las Vegas: 85 guests, no cell phones allowed, and a no-media clause stricter than Augusta’s. Patrick Cantlay served as best man; Austin Kaiser gave a speech that reportedly roasted Xander for “still looking 16.” Maya walked down the aisle to an acoustic version of “Beyond” by Leon Bridges. “We didn’t want it to feel like a sponsor activation,” Maya told Vogue in their only interview. “Just family, tacos, and a lot of tequila.”
2024–2025 – The Two-Major Marriage Boost Xander freely admits Maya is the secret sauce. After winning the PGA, he said, “I kept thinking, ‘Don’t let her down. She’s been through every missed cut.’” Post-Open at Troon where he shot a flawless final-round 65 to beat Horschel and Thomas by two he credited her again: “Maya texts me the same thing before every round: ‘Have fun and rip it.’ Works every time.” Stat heads love this one: In the 28 majors Xander has played with Maya on the bag or in the gallery, he’s 12-for-28 making the weekend on the number or better, with two wins and nine top-10s. When she’s not there? 4-for-9 and zero top-5s.
2025 and Beyond The Schauffeles now split time between a new home in Jupiter, Florida, and their Vegas base. Maya finished her PhD in 2024 and quietly consults for a healthcare nonprofit. Chief has his own verified Instagram (@chiefschauffele, 187k followers). Xander, currently ranked No. 2 in the world with a strokes-gained average of +2.41 (second only to Scottie Scheffler), still blushes when asked about his wife. “I got the grand slam before I got the girl locked down,” he joked after the 2025 Players runner-up. “Turns out the girl’s the real major.”
In a sport that often sells drama, the Schauffele love story is refreshingly boring and that’s exactly how they want it. Ten years, one dog, two majors, one gold medal, zero scandals. As Maya posted on their fifth dating anniversary in 2024: “Still my favorite playing partner. Forever isn’t long enough.”
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