Xander Schauffele will, without a doubt, be one of Team USA’s key men at Bethpage Black this weekend, but a consistent face in his entourage will be absent: his father, Stefan.
The 60-year-old has decided to boycott the Ryder Cup entirely, insisting the near-century-old tournament has grown “toxic”, pointing the finger at the controversy that marred the last edition in Rome.
This year’s edition is already looking like a blockbuster. The Ryder Cup has returned to American soil, with Schauffele partnering with close friend Patrick Cantlay at 12:42pm UK time this afternoon, the 27th of September, against Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton. Team Europe arrive as holders after a dominant display in Italy, winning 16.5-11.5, but the US will be gunning to bounce back in front of their home crowd. They’ll have to come from behind, however, after a poor opening day saw them slip to a three-point deficit.
Xander Schauffele’s Father Skipping Ryder Cup
Despite the excitement surrounding the weekend, Stefan Schauffele will not be there to see any of it. The German-born coach has overseen much of his son’s career, such as his 2024 PGA Championship victory, but Stefan says the Ryder Cup has crossed a line.
Speaking to The Times in July, he recalled previous incidents that soured his view on the competition.
“I was there [at Whistling Straits] when they called Shane Lowry’s wife a w**** in front of him. I couldn’t believe my ears,” he said.
“Then I saw what happened in Rome. That was utterly disgusting claiming this money bull**** and Rory [McIlroy] behaved disgustingly in my opinion [when he confronted Patrick Cantlay’s caddie, Joe LaCava].
“It’s only going to get worse. It’s ruined my appetite for the Ryder Cup. It becomes unwatchable.”
Rory McIlroy’s Ryder Cup Controversy in Rome
Grand Slam champion, Rory McIlroy, took issue with Joe LaCava’s overzealous celebrations after Cantlay put a crucial putt away. LaCava waved his hat enthusiastically in a cyclic fashion toward spectators, suggestively in reference to the American’s demonstration of competing “hatless” for players not receiving compensation for competing in the Ryder Cup.
The Northern Irish golfer wasn’t pleased with LaCava’s display, arguing it got in the way of his preparation to line up his putt. Further to the harsh words that seemed to be shared, McIlroy challenged Justin Thomas’ caddie, Jim ‘Bones’ Mackay, in the car park. These issues seemed to dim the lights of Europe’s stellar triumph against America, with these dramatic exchanges bleeding into the crowd too.
As Stefan mentioned, Open Championship winner Shane Lowry’s wife was subject to intimidating words after Team USA’s 19-9 victory. Lowry has said that while most Wisconsin spectators were genuine, a “small percentage” of them went far beyond the line of what he would expect of golf supporters.
“I thought I got on well with the crowd last week as best I could. But they are obviously a home crowd, and they are going to be a partisan crowd. Some of the stuff is not very nice, but that’s just the way it is.”
McIlroy too faced choice words from supporters in Hazeltine nearly a decade ago, after his break-up with tennis star Caroline Wozniacki. Despite the positive connotations of “Sweet Caroline” in other sports, the Minnesotan home crowd used the lyrics to jab at McIlroy’s personal life.
However, despite all the noise around his father’s boycott, Xander will be determined to aid Team USA in picking up a third successive home victory.