The PGA Tour-LIV Golf divide hasn’t changed the shape of Xander Schauffele’s heart. The Jupiter resident still misses his former colleague and good friend, Dustin Johnson. DJ and his peers were banned from playing on the Tour after joining LIV Golf. But it doesn’t affect his day-to-day activities much. Schauffele is still clear about his purpose, to play his best golf in the PGA Tour and the Majors.

He misses some LIV Golfers, but LIV Golf is not in his mind, despite his dissatisfaction with the PGA Tour commissioner. Jay Monahan has a long way to go to earn his trust back, Schauffele said at THE PLAYERS Championship. A month later, the seven-time PGA Tour winner would tee up against his former colleagues. But he insists it’s like a job for him, and his colleagues’ resignations don’t impact his work.

Xander Schauffele has scheduled a practice round with DJ

Schauffele revealed he would play a practice round with Johnson on Tuesday. Apparently, the 30-year-old met DJ while recceing the ‘scary greens’ of Augusta, and it sort of happened on the fly. “I think I’ve made it pretty obvious that Dustin is probably the one I miss the most,” the PGA Tour Pro said when asked if he missed any LIV Golfer.

Notably, last year, in a chat with Golf.com, Schauffele said if he had to pair up with one player for life, that would be Dustin Johnson. A year before, Xander Schauffele admitted DJ and his caddie brother, Austin Johnson, “are two beauties.” Johnson and Schauffele were paired together in the 2021 Ryder Cup thrashing Paul Casey and Bernd Wiesberger 2–1.

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It’s not that he doesn’t enjoy being on the PGA Tour with others. It’s just Johnson is an old friend. “It’s sort of, it’s like, this is my office. I love my job, but this is my office. And if someone leaves or quits or whatever, like, I just — I still come to work, and I still try my best and do what I can do. So whether I see someone I like or not doesn’t really affect my day that much,” Schauffele said during the Monday press conference at Augusta National Golf Club.

Xander Schauffele is not the only one to lament the divided state of golf. Many have lost their friends to the other side and after two years, golfers on both sides have admitted that the faster PGA Tour and LIV Golf reach an agreement, the better. 

LIV Golfers and PGA Tour Pros want to be back together

Just weeks ago, Webb Simpson, a sitting PGA Tour policy board member, said he missed his close friends who joined LIV Golf. “I miss a lot of my buddies out there—Charles Howell, Bubba Watson, to name a couple.” In fact, Rory McIlroy, last year played with Brooks Koepka in the Masters practice round.

In fact, just days ago, the Smash GC captain, too, admitted that they talk often. “We’ve had some good talks. We get some good laughs out of it because everybody just — all the stuff going on in golf, sometimes you just have to sit there and laugh,” Golf.com quoted the five-time Major winner. 

Interestingly, while many remain in close touch, the pathway for LIV Golfers to be back in the Tour is still thorny. McIlroy would want Jay Monahan to welcome them back without any punishment. But not Scottie Scheffler, Rickie Fowler, or Justin Thomas. It’s anyone’s guess whose side Xander Schauffele is on. His name was thrown into the potential defector’s mix a couple of times. But the seven-time PGA Tour winner has laughed off his chances of joining LIV Golf. 

Xander Schauffele Might Be the Most Successful Yet Unfortunate PGA Tour Golfer of Recent Times