Xander Schauffele on his father’s Ryder Cup comments: ‘Things are twisting’

At some point, the topic was going to come back to Xander Schauffele, and at Wednesday’s Zozo Championship press conference, it did.

“Your father suggested that Ryder Cup players should be paid,” a reporter began.

The Ryder Cup already took place almost three weeks ago. but the debate Schaffuele, his long-time friend Patrick Cantlay and Schauffele’s father Stefan joined Marco Simone, were not settled.

First, let’s back up a bit. Pay-to-play became a topic of discussion at the Ryder Cup when Sky Sports released a report alleging that (1) Schauffele and Cantlay were at the epicenter of a fractured U.S. locker room resulting from the duo’s beef, members of the team not being paid enough, and (2) Cantlay refused to wear a hat in protest. Cantlay has denied these claims.

Later in the week, Stefan Schauffele met with a group of journalists, including Dylan Dethier from GOLF, and said: “I think if the PGA of America is a for-profit organization, it should make sure that the players share in those profits. Instead of being so opaque about it, they should reveal the numbers. And then we should go to the table and talk.

Stefan emphasized that he was only speaking for himself and not for his son.

Players and fans used the Sky Sports report as a rallying cry, but the Europeans thwarted any attempt at a US singles comeback on Sunday. When asked after the event if the Ryder Cuppers should be paid, Cantlay refused to answer.

“It’s not about that,” he said. “It’s just about Team USA and representing our country. That’s all I have to say about it.

On Wednesday at Zozo, Alex tried to clarify his father’s comments, although he did not share his own opinion on the matter or respond directly to the journalist’s question.

Your father suggested that Ryder Cup players should be paid. Many people think this is probably a good suggestion. What are the obstacles to this achievement and what do you think is the resistance from the general public? In other words, you get paid for everything else, why not that?

“If you look at what he said – I wasn’t very excited about him speaking to the media just because I know how bad things are – I had to go back on what he said specifically and he specifically said that if the tournament was for-profit, then the players should be paid,” Xander said. “He also said that if it is a charity event, it most likely should ‘act a charity event and everything should be donated.

“I don’t know, when I look back on what he said, I think the headlines obviously distorted what he was trying to say, but I don’t think he ever really spoke directly about what he was saying. what are you referring to in terms of playing while getting paid. He just said it should be one or the other, not that confusing.

The Ryder Cup generates millions of dollars in revenue for the event’s two governing organizations, the PGA of America and the DP World Tour, but neither organization is a for-profit enterprise.

The PGA of America has 501(c)(6) status and the DP World Tour is a “benevolent trust,” another form of nonprofit organization.

Jack Hirsh

Publisher of Golf.com

Jack Hirsh is an associate editor at GOLF. A native of Pennsylvania, Jack is a 2020 graduate of Penn State University, where he earned degrees in broadcast journalism and political science. He was captain of his high school golf team and recently returned to the program as head coach. Jack also *tries* to stay competitive among local amateurs. Before joining GOLF, Jack spent two years working at a television station in Bend, Oregon, primarily as a multimedia journalist/reporter, but also as a producer, anchor, and even weatherman. He can be reached at [email protected].