Scottie Scheffler criticised for ‘remarkable’ decision that saddens DP World Tour player
· Yahoo Sports
Eddie Pepperell has claimed that the reluctance of Scottie Scheffler and other American PGA Tour players to travel around the world saddens him, particularly given the money that they would have been offered to feature at certain events.
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Much has been made over the last few years of Scheffler’s desire to play almost all of his golf in North America. The world number one has not played an event solely run by the DP World Tour since the J.P. McManus Pro-Am in 2022. Even that is considered an unofficial event on the European circuit.
Scheffler has a young family, while he has been a fantastic servant for the PGA Tour. So it is difficult to be overly critical of his decision to largely remain Stateside.
Why Scottie Scheffler not playing more golf internationally saddens Eddie Pepperell
The PGA Tour is set to change quite considerably from 2028. The tour will be split into two tiers, while it appears that Brian Rolapp is keen to embrace some of the most prestigious international events.
It will be intriguing to see whether that encourages some of the bigger names, including Scheffler, to travel outside of the United States more often.
Speaking on the Business Of Sport podcast, Eddie Pepperell suggested that some of the biggest names in the game are letting such a brilliant opportunity pass them by.
“The events themselves on the PGA Tour are second to none. They’re fabulous events. But it’s very samey week-in, week-out. You stay in a pretty average hotel on the side of the motorway, get your Starbucks at 6am on the way to the course. You go play. Everybody seems a bit depressed out there to me. When I was there, I often thought none of these people seem that happy in spite of the millions that they’re earning. Whereas when you play on the DP World Tour, the vibrancy of experience is so much greater,” he said.
“Ultimately, this is what saddens me when I hear of Scottie Scheffler not wanting to travel as much, and the Americans who don’t travel, all they’re doing is limiting their experiences and their future self. And when you can be offered what they’re currently being offered to go and play the game globally, to turn that down I find just remarkable because I would have done it for free, let alone the millions that they would be offered to travel to wherever it might be.”
Eddie Pepperell explains why he would turn down a PGA Tour card
The DP World Tour seemed to be a big loser following the formation of LIV Golf. They lost a number of their legendary figures to the breakaway league, and their alliance with the PGA Tour also created issues.
While the deal with the PGA Tour secured its future, it became nearly impossible to argue with those who felt that the DP World Tour had become a feeder tour. As things stand, the top-10 players each year on the Race to Dubai who do not have a PGA Tour card receive one for the following season.
Not every player has taken up the chance to head across the Atlantic. Laurie Canter and Tom McKibbin joined LIV when they had the opportunity to join the PGA Tour, while Dan Brown recently confirmed that he had cut his PGA Tour season short and returned to Europe because he wanted to prioritise his well-being.
And Pepperell revealed why earning a PGA Tour card would not appeal a great deal to him.
“Interestingly, if I had the most remarkable end to the season and got one of the 10 cards, I would say with 95 per cent certainty that I would turn that down right now, and stick to playing golf on the DP World Tour for another year. I love travelling in Europe. I love Europe personally. And I’ve grown to appreciate Asia a bit more, me and Jen had wonderful trips down to Africa this year, and you just don’t get that on the PGA Tour. I think that is the side of playing golf on the DP World Tour that is just magical,” he said.
Pepperell’s comments highlight how some players have different goals for their careers.
Someone like Eugenio Chacarra seems absolutely desperate to ensure that he is playing on the PGA Tour next year. Clearly, Pepperell is very happy focusing his full attention on playing in Europe for as long as he can.
With that in mind, Scheffler may perhaps argue that he has very good reason to stick to the schedule he currently has.