There is something strong about the relationship between Xander Schauffele and his father, Stefan. It is not just that of a father and son. Over time, Stefan has acted as a guide, mentor, coach, advisor, and many more, being whatever the PGA Tour pro wanted him to be. When tough decisions come to Xander Schauffele, “The Ogre”, as his son lovingly refers to him, is on hand to help him take a stand.

“He handles conversations and tough situations in an ogre fashion — he’s not afraid to get in your face to put it like that.” Schauffele stated previously. One such tough decision came with the onset of LIV Golf. With top names in golf like Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Jon Rahm, and many other top golfers jumping to the Saudi-backed circuit, it seemed that Schauffele would also likely follow suit. Especially considering the money that was on the table.

LIV Golf reportedly offered the PGA Tour pro an amount between $150 million and $200 million in a bid to lure Schauffele to the breakaway tour. But one figure was adamant about not jumping ship without sorting a few things. That was Stefan Schauffele. “They could’ve doubled the money and we still wouldn’t do it,” The golfer’s father recalled the discussion. Stefan was particularly against the idea of not being able to participate in majors due to a lack of world ranking points.

In a previous interview in 2024, the elder Schauffele had made it clear that until LIV has an answer to the majors and other aspects, the two-time major winner would not be interested in the offer. “Xander is not chasing the money. Xander is about legacy. And as my opinion — just as his father — there was never a chance.”  Stefan Schauffele explained.

He further made it clear what the Saudi-backed circuit needs to do to even entertain the possibility of Schauffele joining them. “What we told LIV in Saudi Arabia, with Xander beside me, was that if there is no path back to the PGA Tour and if there is no chance at world ranking points we do not have anything to talk about. Even if you throw hundreds of millions of dollars at him. That word still stands.” The ‘ogre’ added.

For his part, the current World No.3 has maintained a very neutral tone when it comes to LIV Golf. “I’m not going to pledge to the tour … I’ll just say I’m here right now which is a fact.” Schauffele had stated before, a clear indication that if everything falls in place, he could very well make a move. That could be sooner rather than later. Some rumblings in the golf ecosystem concerning LIV Golf could be noteworthy news to the Schauffeles. Very recently, for the first time under Scott O’Neil, LIV Golf submitted a new application to get accredited by the Official World Golf Rankings.

LIV Golf makes new application to OWGR

In an Instagram post, O’Neil was quoted as saying, “We are confident our application addresses the outstanding questions that exist to support a more global, all-encompassing, and accurate ranking system. We are hopeful the review and approval process can progress ahead of the 2026 Major season.” If the tide falls in their favour, LIV Golf could be looking for a serious influx of players, with players like Schauffele possibly forced to reconsider their earlier decisions.

Trevor Immelman, who heads the OWGR, has not given away anything with regard to the application. “The OWGR Board is committed to a thorough evaluation process of all applications, and LIV’s application will be reviewed in accordance with OWGR’s criteria to ensure fairness, integrity and consistency,” The 2008 Masters Champion commented regarding the application.

Do you think LIV Golf can turn a corner and get the application approved? More importantly, will Xander Schauffele join the Tour, if they can show him a pathway to ranking points and majors?