Sad news:Xander Schauffele strongly disagrees with Rory McIlroy after star’s five-word comment as …

Xander Schauffele is at odds with Rory McIlroy over under-fire PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan.

The recently-crowned US PGA champion has resisted the temptation to switch to LIV Golf, despite holding talks with the breakaway series. Schauffele has stressed his commitment to the PGA Tour, although he has declared his discontent with Monahan’s leadership amid golf’s civil war.

Monahan had initially attempted quash LIV’s influence on top level golf, only to be forced into a major U-turn as the Saudi-backed tour lured a host of marquee players, gaining huge momentum as a result. Monahan stunned the sport 12 months ago by announcing a framework agreement with LIV backers, paving the way to a potential merger.

I’ve criticised Jay in the past, but the fact is not once has our commander-in-chief stood up for all of us players and said, ‘This is happening, this is where we’re going,’ and protected us, basically. He didn’t take a stand when anyone left, he didn’t come out to the public and face the music, none of that.

“Obviously, there were reasons [Monahan took a medical leave of absence in the immediate aftermath of the announcement], but historically in tough situations you need a strong leader who can make the big waves smaller and make us feel better about what we’re doing. Right now, we don’t have that.”