Xander Schauffele’s dad says his son will never join LIV Golf even if they ‘throw hundreds of millions of dollars’ - “He is not chasing the money”

Xander Schauffele is going to be in hot demand after his first Major victory. That may even prompt rumors of his defecting to LIV Golf. Most golfers are the subject of those rumors, true or not, at some point or another. Schauffele's dad has already shut down the idea, claiming that there's no way his son will leave for the Saudi-backed circuit.

He said (via NUCLR GOLF):

“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."

Schauffele's father continued:

"What we told LIV in Saudi Arabia, with Xander beside me, was that if there is no path back to the PGA Tour & 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.”

Presently, LIV is without OWGR ranking points. So Schauffele, who rose to World No. 2 with his PGA Championship win, would not be able to contend for World No. 1 and would likely drop pretty far in the rankings.

For comparison, Jon Rahm was ranked second before he defected, and he's dropped all the way to seventh in the months since, and the free fall will likely continue.

Another issue is the path back to the PGA Tour. There is rampant speculation that the merger will solve that issue, but right now, there's no guaranteed way to leave for LIV, sign the big-money contract, and then get back to the Tour eventually. That matters to the Schauffele family.

Despite the almost assuredly massive contract Schauffele would get from LIV, none of it matters without OWGR points or a path back, and those are two things LIV might never have.

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Xander Schauffele ousts LIV player for first Major win

Xander Schauffele might not be going to LIV Golf, but he was neck-and-neck with a player from that tour on Sunday. During the final round, he and Bryson DeChambeau were always within a couple of strokes of one another.

Xander Schauffele beat Bryson DeChambeau

That was true even to the 18th hole. DeChambeau had birdied it to draw even with Schauffele, thus hoping for him to par out the rest of the way or to do the unthinkable and bogey.

Heading into the 18th hole, Schauffele and DeChambeau were still tied and poised for an epic playoff. After a tough tee shot, DeChambeau paused his practice swings to watch what might be his chance to win.

Then Schauffele recovered with an excellent shot that gave him a short putt to birdie and win, which he nailed calmly. DeChambeau said via ESPN that Schauffele played great after clutching up:

"He's an amazing golfer and well-deserved Major champion now. He's played well for a long, long time."

DeChambeau and Xander Schauffele now both have one Major title to their names, as the former won the 2020 U.S. Open.