If logistics were no issue, Xander Schauffele would show his Japan-based maternal grandparents every trophy he’s ever won.

The San Diego native has played in all six editions of the PGA Tour’s Zozo Championship (all but the 2020 edition have been held in Japan), but this is the first time he’s touched down in the Pacific nation as a major champion.

Well, a dual major winner having broken through at the PGA Championship at Valhalla in May and the Open Championship at Royal Troon in July.

The decision of which trophy—the enormous Wanamaker (PGA) or the more petite claret jug (Open)—to bring on the 5,500-mile journey to Chiba, Japan, was easy.

“You can’t put [the Wanamaker] in a carry-on, I’ll say that much,” Schauffele said earlier this week at Narashino Country Club.

Schauffele brought the claret jug so that his grandparents, Eisei Chen and Namiko Azuma, who live in Japan, were able to hold the famous piece of sterling silverware awarded each year to the winner of the links major. The PGA Tour winner posted a photo before Sunday’s final round.

“My grandparents have lived in Shibuya for I don’t know how long; I think my first time over here was probably when I was 9 years old and been coming here ever since,” Schauffele said.

And it’s not the first valuable prize they’ve witnessed their grandson holding. In 2021, at the postponed Olympic games in Tokyo, Schauffele’s grandparents were able to see the gold medal hours after he held off Rory Sabbatini of Slovakia by one shot in the men’s golf competition.

“During COVID, they weren’t able to attend [fans weren’t allowed at the Olympics] but I was able to show them the medal that night at the hotel,” Schauffele said.

Only three years later, Schauffele cemented his status as a truly great golfer with his eighth and ninth PGA Tour victories. “It was a dream come true; winning two majors in a season … for me to be able to do it is very special,” he said. “I will always remember 2024.”

In particular, he’ll remember the weekend his grandparents were able to cradle arguably golf’s most famous trophy.

Main image: In a family photo posted on X, Xander Schauffele’s grandmother, Namiko Azuma, holds the claret jug while posing with the golfer and his grandfather, Eisei Chen.