GOAL IN ONE

Xander eyes Slam but he could have been USA's soccer saviour says dad

- NEIL MCLEMAN

NEW Open champion Xander Schauffele had the talent to "save" the USA football team, his father has claimed.

The Californian has won two Majors in three months and will now seek to defend his Olympic golf title.

But the new world No.2's family already has a rich European sporting heritage, with two of his great grandfathers having played professional football.

Johann Hoffman represented Austria and won the league title for clubs in his homeland, Czechoslovakia, and France. And Richard Schauffele, who was 6'8", played for Stuttgart before becoming a track and field star.

The Ryder Cup player inherited the sporting genes and he could have helped the American team during their recent Copa America shambles.

His father Stefan, whose athletics career was wrecked by a drunk driver, said: "He was an excellent soccer.

player. It was astonishing when I first saw the talent. When he was four, halfvolleys, both legs, left and right.