"You may lose some guys"- Xander Schauffele not in favor of potential mixed-team golf event at the Olympics

Xander Schauffele will compete for the USA at the 2024 Olympics this week, August 1–4. The 30-year-old golfing sensation, riding a wave of success on the PGA Tour, is set to compete at Le Golf National on the outskirts of Paris, France.

The International Golf Federation has proposed introducing an additional golf event to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics to expand the sport's reach and popularity. Since golf's reintroduction to the Olympic program in 2016, the competition has been limited to individual stroke play events for both men and women.

Antony Scanlon, the director of the International Golf Federation, has proposed adding a mixed men's and women's event. However, two-time Major Championship winner Xander Schauffele does not seem to be in favour of the potential addition. Here's what the 2024 Open Championship winner had to say, per CBS reporter Kyle Porter.

" I think having a match-play event would be kind of weird. So that's just my take on that. Then with the co-sex play. I'm a big advocate of don't knock on it until you try it. My only issue with it would be sort of the run of events; it being two weeks in a row.If you take it for what we have now, we are playing this tournament, we have one week off and then we have three weeks in a row for our Playoffs. It would be sticky to do two tournaments in a row and because of that, you may lose some guys."

The 30-year-old's concerns are certainly valid. The proposed event would be scheduled to take place after the men's individual event and before the women's event, creating a tough schedule for players. Having back-to-back events is sure to place a strain on the golfers and lead to burn out.

The mixed event would feature both alternate shot and best ball formats. Sixteen teams, composed of the 120-player field, would compete in a match play competition.

According to Scanlon, a key reason for adding the event is to increase the sport's exposure and boost viewership. Given that sports like judo distribute 45 medals, the director believes golf's current six medals are insufficient for the game's growth.

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Xander Schauffele 2024 Paris Olympics Tee Times and Pairings

Xander Schauffele, fresh off his Open Championship victory, is the top contender for Team USA's gold medal at this week's Paris Olympics. The defending champion will tee off the first round on Thursday, August 1.

Schauffele, paired with Viktor Hovland and Jon Rahm, will tee off the first round at 11:55 AM local time. The trio will maintain the same pairings for the second round, starting at 9:55 AM on Friday at Le Golf National.