Xander Schauffele weighs in on contentious PGA Tour-LIV Golf topic

It's no secret at one point over the last two years Xander Schauffele was heavily entertaining the thought of joining LIV Golf. 

And who can blame him, given the immediate riches on offer from the breakaway tour. 

Still, Schauffele ultimately said 'no' and maintains his 'neutral' position on the topic. 

Ahead of this week's Valspar Championship, Schauffele was asked for his thoughts on the prospect of LIV players returning to the fold should they wish.

From the outside looking in, it appears the majority of PGA Tour players have no issue with LIV players teeing it up on their circuit again. 

Some feel like there should be some sort of financial penalty, though. Some don't. 

Player director Peter Malnati went as far to say after the Players Championship that no returning LIV player will get equity in the recently-formed PGA Tour Enterprises. 

"Guys who violated our policies aren't ever going to be eligible for that," Malnati said. "That's a big deal. Like, that's a big, big deal.

"So I think, if we do find a pathway for guys to come back, there will certainly be safeguards in place to protect the members of the Tour who stayed."

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Schauffele was asked by a reporter: "Would you, being in your position, be annoyed at someone from LIV who was able to come back and keep all the money that you turned down or chose not to take, however you look at it?"

He replied: "I think that goes into the accept boat for me, if we're going to run that sort of scheme on your question here.

"I have to accept sort of any decision I was going to make a long time ago regarding to what you just mentioned with money and moving and them coming back and stuff of that nature.

"So I'm very content with where I sit right now and I would have chosen otherwise if I -- I don't have any regrets of what I've done or what I'm doing, so I'm sleeping just fine at night knowing where I stand."

Schauffele was speaking to reporters on the same day the aforementioned Malnati and his fellow player directors - including the likes of Tiger Woods - met with LIV chairman and PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan. 

Details of that secret meeting in the Bahamas have been kept secret but PGA Tour boss Jay Monahan claimed 'constructive' talks were held. 

Schauffele was asked what he thinks the future will look like. As far as he is concerned, history tells us that the sport will come back together. 

"My guess would be that we would all be playing together again," he said. 

"I think that's what fans would want, I think that's what TV would want, and golf as a whole would probably be better off that way.

"Just like all sports when they have been fractured, they have always come back together. So I'm just going to lean on the side of history."

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