Scottie Scheffler is the defending champion of the Players Championship this week at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Coming off his victory last week at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, it’s not surprising all eyes and ears were on him for his pre-tournament press conference Tuesday.
It’s what he said that’s turning heads. Scheffler has never hinted at leaving the PGA Tour to join LIV Golf, even as he has dominated the sport and became the No. 1 player in the world. He also hasn’t bashed those who left, rather maintained his loyalty to the PGA Tour and left it at that.
Plenty of the discourse, especially among fans, for professional golf recently is a watered-down Tour product and the fact the best players in the world are playing only four times a year together at the majors. And even at that, players competing for LIV Golf may not get into those events because they aren’t earning Official World Golf Ranking points.
It was a decision players who left made, leaving an established Tour that followed the guidelines of the OWGR for one that not only didn’t follow said rules but also hasn’t changed its rules enough to try to gain points in the future.
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The results? Fans not getting to see the best players compete week in and week out. Scheffler thinks it’s easy to place the blame.
“If the fans are upset, then look at the guys that left,” Scheffler said. “We had a Tour, we were all together, and the people that left are no longer here. At the end of the day, that’s where the splintering comes from.
“I think we’re trying to do our best to create the best product for the fans, but we can’t control whether or not guys want to leave. If guys want to go take the money and leave, then that’s their decision. I’m not going to sit here and tell guys not to take hundreds of millions of dollars. If that’s what they think is best for their life, then go do it. I’m not going to sit here and force guys to stay on our Tour.
“But at the end of the day, this is where I want to be, and we’re continuing to grow what we’re doing, and what they’re doing is not really a concern to me.”
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PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan spoke before Scheffler on Tuesday in his State of the Tour address, and he spoke to numerous topics, including continued negotiations with the PIF and fan discourse.
Scheffler’s answer was in response to how much fan’s voices have been listened to in the previous two years of professional golf turmoil. As Scheffler states, there are millions of fans, meaning millions of perspectives.
Scottie Scheffler of the United States walks off the 17th green during a practice round prior to THE PLAYERS Championship on the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass on March 12, 2024 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
One of the changes the Tour made to get its stars playing more often together was signature events, which has worked. In the past, the Players was touted as the best field in golf. Because of numerous stars missing from the field due to their association with LIV Golf, it’s hard for that mantra to hold the same weight it has in years past.
However, Scheffler said he doesn’t dwell on those who left, and he’s encouraged by the direction of the Tour.
“It’s kind of one of the out of sight, out of mind things, and the people that want to be on this Tour are still here, and the guys that want to compete out here are still here,” Scheffler said. “So we’ve got a lot of great competition. I’m excited with the new tournament schedule getting the best players on our Tour all together as much as we can, and I think we’re in a great spot.”
