Xander Schauffele has taken aim at golf’s media outlets ahead of the BMW Championship at Castle Pines Golf Club in Denver.
With the PGA Tour playoffs now underway, talk of huge purses and the millions on offer has taken centre stage.
Schauffele has made over $17 million this season and is now among the top ten highest-earning golfers of all time. Scottie Scheffler also makes the list and has netted an astonishing $29 million, according to the PGA Tour’s website.
However, golf fans pointed out that Scheffler’s 2024 earnings equate to a low-ball LIV Golf offer.
Schauffele has been discussing the topic of money ahead of the season finale, and the American feels it’s a discourse the media are continuously attempting to thrust into the headlines.
Xander Schauffele reacts to money question ahead of BMW Championship
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Talking ahead of the BMW Championship, Schauffele claimed golf’s media paint a very different picture compared to other sports.
“I mean, it’s interesting, the media has been an interesting thing to me the last two or three years,” Schauffele said. “There’s a reason behind inflated purses, and a lot of people have been talking about money. The news that I do read, it’s funny, it’s really negative. It’s painted really negatively in golf, which is fine. I think people like to hate on anything these days.”
“But when I look at other sports, when someone gets a $300 million contract, there are all these positive comments about how someone got their bag, or they’ve worked so hard to get this, and they deserve it, things like that. It’s interesting to me.”
He added: ” I think maybe golf is a gentlemen’s game, and you’re not supposed to talk about money, but all the media wants to do is talk about money.”
Schauffele then claimed that winning $25 million would be “nice” but wouldn’t make or break his season.
“Us players, I think the players that make the most money don’t think about money because it’s just not the most important thing,” Schauffele added.
“To answer your question, yeah, I mean, winning $25 million would be really cool and really nice, but I don’t think it’s going to change my life, and I can tell you if I lose and play bad, I’m going to be pretty upset about playing bad and not being able to peak at the right time more than losing money.”
Xander Schauffele can finally get over the line at East Lake
Schauffele currently sits second in the FedEx Cup standings and will likely start two shots back of Scheffler at East Lake.
The 30-year-old’s record in Atlanta is simply superb, and he claimed the Tour Championship title back in 2017. Seven years ago, however, Justin Thomas was the man to take home the prestigious FedEx Cup crown.
Given Schauffele’s form at East Lake and Scheffler’s struggles in recent years, the reigning Open champion will surely fancy his chances of landing golf’s most lucrative prize.
Schauffele, of course, has played down the prospect of winning $25 million, but there’s no doubt the prize money will be motivation over the coming weeks.
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