Xander Schauffele could have made up to £148million ($200m) from a switch to the LIV Golf breakaway tour, but his father urged him to opt for silverware success over monetary gain. The American PGA Tour player is preparing to return to The Open Championship this week, with the aim to make it back-to-back titles with a win at Royal Portrush.
The 31-year-old has plenty of support in his corner, including his former coach and supportive father Stefan – who has been more influential in the golfer’s career than many would expect. In fact, Stefan was a crucial part in Xander’s decision-making when it came to staying loyal to the PGA Tour over the LIV Golf circuit, after the American was offered between £111m ($150m) and £148m ($200m) to swap allegiances.
Speaking about his golden moment, Xander said: “That was a seriously emotional moment.”
The victory clearly meant a lot to Stefan as well, as he added: “You’re going to make me cry just thinking about it. He understood how huge the Olympics was for me. We got in the car and he gave me the medal and said, ‘This is for you.'”
Schauffele will be hoping to add to his prize pot, trophy cabinet and his father’s pride at this year’s Open Championship, with the last major trophy of the season up for grabs.
However, he will have some fierce competition to retain the Claret Jug, with Grand Slam star Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler looking to land their second major victory of the year.
