Scottie Scheffler reached the elite group of 100 weeks as World No. 1 with Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods, and other decorated golfers. After winning the US Open 2024, Xander Schauffele grabbed enough points to defeat McIlroy and bag the No. 2 position in the standings with his first major win of the season. Scheffler, in all probabilities, can maintain his position in the lead. But if there is anyone close to defeating him and taking over the No. 1 position, it is Schauffele.

Their neck-to-neck competition has been going on for quite some time now after Schauffele won two majors this season. Currently in the FedEx Cup standings, Schauffele is in the second position, with 5037, just 1496 points behind Scheffler. However, when asked about his main goal in pursuing golf, No. 2 revealed that it was neither about money nor position.

Xander Schauffele admits his love for golf was what kept him going

At the pre-tournament presser in Colorado on Tuesday, Xander Schauffele was asked about his true motive behind taking up golf as a profession. He started stating how he was a part of the soccer team when he was in school. However, they would always end up losing because it was a team thing. He then saw his father playing golf one day, which was an individual sport.

He fell in love with seeing the golf ball fly, and there has been no going back for him ever since. “I’ve always loved just playing golf. I’ve always loved hitting golf balls,” he added. The American professional then went on to state that what began as a ‘love at first sight’, is no longer in the honeymoon phase now. He no longer hits the 600 to 1000 balls that he used to as a 12 or 13-year-old. “I just really enjoy that challenge. It’s an ongoing battle. It’s a really hard one to win. New opportunities always seem to present itself. That’s the part of golf I love the most”.

Even today, he still enjoys the process. Be it his trainer telling him how to practice off-season or his putting coach asking him to hit these many putts, it’s something he thoroughly enjoys. Schauffele concluded. Although he didn’t opt to play for money, he did earn $17,627,160 this season (before the BMW Championship), whereas his career earnings stand tall at $56,537,483.

Be it love for the game or being on top, Schauffele has been in the game all along this season. With it coming to an end in just two weeks, what are his chances of really going on top when compared to Scottie Scheffler?

Could Xander Schauffele be the #1 FedEx golfer?

Xander Schauffele was only in the top 10 after the first three rounds of the FedEx St. Jude Championship. However, on Sunday, he posted an impressive 7-under 63, going completely bogey-free for the final round. This bagged him the second position, tied with Viktor Hovland. However, Scottie Scheffler was on No. 4, one stroke behind Schauffele.

If No. 2 manages to grab a win at the BMW Championship, which is set to kickstart in just a few hours, he will be getting an additional 2000 FedEx Cup points to his name. Interestingly, as long as Scottie Scheffler finishes outside the top 5, and Schauffele wins, the latter will take the reign as #1 in the standings.

Do you think he will be able to do it? Let us know in the comments section below!