Xander Schauffele: The Wishbone Brawl’s Unlikely Underdog

The PGA Tour star discusses why this charming exhibition means so much to him, and the fierce competition he’ll face from the Goat Hill Park regulars

Xander Schauffele is the sixth-ranked player in the world, and for the 6th annual Wishbone Brawl, at Goat Hill Park in Oceanside, Calif., he will be paired with Tour winner and former Ryder Cupper Chris Riley. They will face another formidable two-man team in Geoff Ogilvy (U.S. Open champ) and Colin Featherstone (a Korn Ferry Tour player and local legend). But the squad that really worries Schauffele is Jasmine and Janae Leovao, 19-year-old twins who are sophomores at Long Beach State, where they’re coming off back-to-back team wins in the Big West Conference. The Leovao twins grew up playing Goat Hill Park and will have the crowd on their side when the Brawl begins on November 11 at noon. (Gates open at 9:30 and there will be a clinic on the range at 11.) Schauffele can’t help but acknowledge what most people are thinking: “When I said we were slight underdogs, I was talking about the field.”

In part 2 of our Fire Pit podcast series previewing Wishbone Brawl VI, Schauffele shares his thoughts about how and why this event means so much to him, John Ashworth’s galvanizing leadership, the evolution of the course and why Goat Hill Park, a 4,500-yard, par-65 municipal course, is so conducive to this type of feel-good event. He also reminisces about some of the magic of previous Wishbones.

For updates throughout the Wishbone Brawl, be sure to follow the social channels of the Fire Pit Collective, Goat Hill Park and Linksoul. Tickets are still available: $50 for adults while kids are free and dogs are welcome.