PGA Championship: Xander Schauffele’s Dad ends LIV Rumors after win
Schauffele’s father, Stefan, quickly ended any rumor of his son joining LIV Golf after he won his first major at the PGA Championship.
The rumors quickly started Sunday evening about Xander Schauffele joining LIV Golf after he won the PGA Championship. Schauffele defeated Crusher GC captain Bryson DeChambeau by one stroke with an impressive birdie on the 18th.
By winning this major, he receives exemptions into the three other majors for the next five years.
That job security fed the rumors, but his father, Stefan Schauffele, stopped the buzz in its tracks, per an interview with Golf.com.
“No chance,” Stefan Schauffele said.
“Xander is not chasing the money. Xander is about legacy. And as my opinion—just as his father—there was never a chance.”
Stefan is a prominent figure in his son’s life. He is Xander’s swing coach and is usually at every event. However, he was not with his son at Valhalla for the big win. Instead, Stefan was in Hawaii on the island of Kauai, in a tiny shipping container, overseeing construction for a future family compound.
His father explained what he and Xander told LIV Golf when the Saudi-backed league offered in the past.
“What we told LIV in Saudi Arabia, with Xander beside me, was that if there is no path back to the PGA Tour and if there is no chance at World Ranking points, we do not have anything to talk about,” Stefan said.
“Even if you throw hundreds of millions of dollars at him. That word still stands.”
Those who started the rumors felt now that Schauffele has some cushion with the majors, he could take the money and still play in the four biggest events of the year. However, it does not seem like that will be the case.
Stefan is not shy about monetary topics. Last year, he spoke about paying Ryder Cup participants. He felt they should be directly compensated for their participation. When Patrick Cantlay refused to wear his hat in Rome and Schauffele followed suit, Stefan claimed the PGA of America almost took his son’s spot on Team USA.
Rumors surrounded Cantlay and his hat that week, claiming it was a protest over not making money at the Ryder Cup. Schauffele and many of the other Team USA participants followed suit. Cantlay claimed he did not wear the hat because it did not fit properly.
Now that Stefan has shut down the LIV Golf rumors, his son is likely to be one of the favorites at the remaining two major championships. Schauffele moved to No. 2 in the world on Monday.
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, be sure to follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.