After finishing 2nd in the Masters, Open Championship, and 3rd in the U.S. Open in the past, Xander Schauffele finally got over the hump and won his first major championship when he sunk a birdie on 18 at Valhalla to win the 106th PGA Championship.
Even before Xander Schauffele sunk that final putt speculation began to grow about whether or not LIV Golf would be in his future. By winning the PGA, Xander receives lifetime exemption into the PGA Championship and he receives an automatic invitation to the other three majors for the next five years. LIV Golf still doesn’t receive OWGR points but Cam Smith, Bryson, and Brooks know all about the job security of winning a recent major.
Xander Schauffele’s dad wasn’t in Kentucky to watch his son lift the Wanamaker Trophy, he was in Hawaii where he’s been living in a shipping container while building out a family compound where they can all spend time throughout the year. But Schauffele’s dad spoke with Dylan Dethier at GOLF about his son Xander’s win, previous LIV Golf offers, and he completely shut down any speculation about Xander going to LIV now that he’s won a major.
Xander Schauffele’s father Stefan on whether his son will go to LIV Golf:
“The opposite would probably be closer to the truth. No chance. Xander is not chasing the money. Xander is about legacy. And as my opinion — just as his father — there was never a chance.”
As Xander’s longtime swing coach, Stefan Schauffele then revealed that he and his son had previously met with LIV Golf reps in Saudi Arabia and shut the door unless two things materialized:
“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. Even if you throw hundreds of millions of dollars at him. That word still stands. I am not called The Ogre without reason. I keep my word.”
Xander Schauffele is 30 years old so it is a bit odd to hear his father speaking so matter-of-factly about Schauffele’s career decisions but I kind of love it. It’s evident his father is very serious about looking after his son’s best interests which doesn’t always work out in professional sports but in Xander Schauffele’s case (and with LIV Golf) that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Stefan Schauffele has an Associate degree in Golf Operations Management from San Diego Golf Academy, an MBA, and he’s a certified golf club fitter. He is both Xander’s official Golf Coach and Mental Coach. Stefan also introduced Xander to cigars at age 10 which is a pretty wild stat but my dad did the same so I’m not here to judge.
LIV Golf would absolutely love to add Xander Schauffele to their ranks. Now is the time they would throw a massive offer at him with his stock higher than ever. But that door seems sealed shut until LIV gets OWGR points and a path back to the PGA Tour.
