Scottie Scheffler after Koepka quits: "I get paid more than I deserve"
Scottie Scheffler says he's compensated well enough as Brooks Koepka leaves the PGA Tour and defects to LIV Golf.
World No.1 Scottie Scheffler admits he gets paid more than he deserves after Brooks Koepka became the latest golf star to turn his back on the PGA Tour in favour of LIV Golf.
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The Masters champion, 25, admitted that he too was surprised with the decision Koepka has made considering “it’s not what he had in mind” last week.
Scheffler claimed he thought Koepka was on board with building the PGA Tour. But the American four-time major winner, 32, has changed his mind and will tee it up at the next LIV Golf event.
Koepka was announced as the next LIV Golf player minutes into a press conference where PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan was outlining changes and increased prize purses for next season.
“That was definitely a surprise for me,” Scheffler admitted, who has won four times this season including at Augusta National.
“I was at a function with him last week and definitely wasn't what he had in mind.
“We were focused on building the PGA Tour and getting the guys that are staying here together and kind of just having talks and figuring out what how we can help benefit the Tour.
“So, to see Brooks leave was definitely a surprise for us.
“With that being said, he's made his decision. I'm not going to knock him for doing that.
“He made the decision that's best for him and I'm not going to be one to judge him on that.”
More: Justin Thomas quick to squash LIV Golf rumours
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan has announced sweeping changes for the 2023-2024 season.
There are increases to prize purses and a format that appears will benefit the game’s biggest stars.
The PGA Tour will move to a season that is based on the calendar year.
Starting next year, the PGA Tour schedule will include eight limited-field no-cut events, with purses of $20 million or more each, for the top 50 finishers in the prior season’s FedEx Cup standings.
Does Scheffler see himself moving?
“For me, it's not where I see myself heading anytime soon. I grew up wanting to be on the PGA Tour.
“I grew up of dreaming of playing in these events. I didn't grow up in playing in the Centurion Club in London or whatever it is or in -- I grew up wanting to play in the Masters.
“I grew up wanting to play in Austin. I grew up wanting to play Colonial, the Byron Nelson.
“I wouldn't trade those memories for anything at this moment in time.
“Those memories, to me, are invaluable. I would never risk going and losing the opportunity to bring, go back to Augusta every year or to do any of it.
“There's nothing that I would want to do right now that would risk having any sort of effects on the way my life is now.”
Scheffler said he believes that “most guys” have faith in the direction the PGA Tour is heading.
Is there any amount of money that Scheffler would move for?
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He said: “I don't think so. I think if there was, there's a place you can find it not.
“Like I said, the money that we have on the PGA Tour, I never dreamt of playing for this much money as I do now.
“I mean, I can't, I don't know, I don't know how much money I've made this year, but it's definitely more than I deserve for whacking a little white golf ball around.
“For me, the memories that I have playing on this Tour and the dreams I have of wanting to be on this Tour and, it can't be replaced by anything financial.
“Money's money and it's not something that I'm trying to let control how I live my life.
“Like Rory [McIlroy] said, when you're making decisions purely based off of financial reasons and fear-based stuff, it doesn't always work out what's best.
“For me, it definitely hasn't worked out best in the past, whatever I was doing.
“If I was doing it purely for financial reasons, for me, it's not what works. For other people maybe it is.
“I'm not going to sit here and tell them what they should or shouldn't do.
“For me, playing golf on the PGA Tour is well-compensated plenty for how I, for what I do for a living.”
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