Scottie Scheffler said he would still compete in PGA Tour events even if the purses were "significantly less" when responding to a question on potential changes to tournaments and the overall season format.
Scheffler leads the FedEx Cup standings heading into the Tour Championship after six PGA Tour victories this term and is set to win the $25 million top prize if he can finish on top of the leaderboard at East Lake this week, having begun with a two-stroke headstart.
The World No.1 recently called the FedEx Cup Playoffs format "silly" as a result of the increased points on offer in the final three events and the fact that the golfer in first could finish 30th for the entire season if an injury flares up at East Lake and they are forced to withdraw.
Two weeks on from those comments, Scheffler was posed a question on how responsive he thinks his fellow competitors would be if the PGA Tour and its sponsors wanted to alter the season format or introduce more unique events.
The 28-year-old provided a refreshing answer regarding money versus prestige while also acknowledging that the PGA Tour is a business and it must do what it can to prosper.
"When I'm focused on just competing, I think that's when I play my best." Scottie Scheffler has proven he has the edge needed to be the #FedExCup No. 1. pic.twitter.com/jJh3fUNDvTAugust 27, 2024
Scheffler said: "At the end of the day, in terms of sponsors, I would play a lot of the tournaments I play throughout the year if the purses were significantly less.
"I would pick and choose a bit more, but if it was -- if it's the Masters, I'm going to play the Masters. I want a chance to win a Major championship. I do not care what you pay me for winning the Masters. I really don't.
"But, at the end of the day, in terms of a lot of those tournaments you just want to get paid what you think would be fair. And then in terms of what sponsor wants, if you've got FedEx putting up the kind of money they're putting up for this event, people are going to show up to play.
"It's a business at the end of the day. It's part of the game. This is a product that appeals to a lot of people. Sports is entertainment, but at the end of the day I still stand on the side of the fence that my golf clubs will always be my entertainment. If you want to come watch me play golf, that's what we're going to see.
"I'm not going to go out on the first tee and do dances and celebrate like crazy. I am going to do my best to compete in a golf tournament. Wherever the best players are competing I am showing up to those tournaments because I love the competition. That's really what I enjoy the most."
Scheffler went on to admit that his frustration is mostly centred around the fact that the FedEx Cup is labelled a "season-long race" but admitted a balance between entertainment and competition has to be struck in order for the PGA Tour to thrive.
The American said that, ultimately, he will still turn up and try to win - no matter the competition or how many cameras are on him.
He continued: "As far as the format goes, golf is a funny game. There's no perfect system in order to play a golf tournament that's the most entertaining product and also the product that gets the best player each time.
"A lot of times in golf the guy that plays the best may not even win that week. In terms of little bounces, it's a fickle game. It's a challenging sport. I'm open to suggestions.
"I do still think that 72 holes of stroke play is the best format for a golf tournament, but if a sponsor wants to come in and change it up a little bit, I love competing, and I want to win when we go home and play Wolf for four hours, and I'm giving 20 strokes to a guy.
"I do not want to be giving him money at the end of the day whether it's $5 or $500. I do not want to take out my wallet and hand him money at the end of the day. That's just not in my blood. I want to win, whether we're playing ping-pong or whatever it is. Whatever the format, I'm going to show up and try and do my best. That's really all it is."
