Who is U.S. Open leader Xander Schauffele?
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Who is U.S. Open leader Xander Schauffele?

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Xander Schauffele is in the lead at the 2017 US Open, and he's an unknown player to a lot of fans. However, he's a young gun that maybe you should start getting to know in a hurry before he potentially hoists the US Open trophy on Sunday at Erin Hills.

Schauffele -- pronounced SHAW-flay -- is a rookie on the PGA Tour, playing his first full season on the circuit after getting to the big show through the Web.com Tour. He finished 26th on the 2016 Web.com Tour regular season money list after getting to the tour through Q-school. He then got on the PGA Tour through his combined earnings in the Web.com Tour Finals, finishing 15th among eligible players.

Ranked 352nd in the world ranking heading into the U.S. Open, Schauffele has three top-25 finishes in 17 starts this season. His best finish is a T-5 at the Sanderson Farms Championship in November.

He turned pro in 2015 as a top-10 amateur in the world, having won the 2014 California State Amateur Championship. Schauffele went to college at San Diego State University, where he won three times.

Schauffele's parents are immigrants to the United States, with his dad with French heritage and his mom with Taiwanese heritage.

About the author

Ryan Ballengee

Ryan Ballengee is founder and editor of Golf News Net. He has been writing and broadcasting about golf for nearly 20 years. Ballengee lives in the Washington, D.C. area with his family. He is currently a +2.6 USGA handicap, and he has covered dozens of major championships and professional golf tournaments. He likes writing about golf and making it more accessible by answering the complex questions fans have about the pro game or who want to understand how to play golf better.

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