Golf sensation Xander Schauffele has suggested that being a bit selfish has been key to his success on the greens.
However, he's also admitted his other half, Maya, might not be over the moon about this trait. After smashing it out of the park with two major wins - the PGA Championship and The Open - it's fair to say 2024 has truly been Schauffele's year.
It's understandable that stars of the fairway such as Schauffele may need to focus on themselves. Golf is largely played as an individual sport, after all, but that doesn't mean they can't switch into team mode when events like this week's Presidents Cup swing by.
"I think so. I tell my wife that," said Schauffele while speaking to reporters ahead of the Presidents Cup in Quebec, Canada. "I don't know if she's the hugest fan of that. But I'm pretty selfish.
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"Selfish to yourself, I think the captains do a really good job. All of us need to do what we normally do, and there's a lot of stuff that we don't normally do during an individual week that we do during a team week, whether it's sort of the timed dinners or photos or a gala or you name it."
The world No2 didn't hold back on his applause for the skippers and their meticulous approach to coordinating the squads. He also tossed some compliments at the backroom crew for their stellar efforts to ensure the players hit the course with clear heads.
The US Presidents Cup team is set to showcase a host of superstar talents at The Royal Montreal Golf Club, including world No1 Scottie Scheffler, two-time major-winner Collin Morikawa and one-time US Open champion Wyndham Clark.
On the other hand, the International team will be led by notable names such as Hideki Matsuyama, Sungjae Im and Adam Scott, with Canada's Mike Weir as captain. These high-profile players will need to keep their egos in check to secure victory in Canada.
Schauffele will get his chance to shine early on, paired with Tony Finau for the first tee time on Thursday. They're set to face off against Jason Day and Byeong Hun An in the inaugural four-ball match.
Despite any mentions of selfishness, Schauffele also displayed great modesty in accepting this aspect of himself. It definitely hasn't hindered his success on the course, either, after rising to the top of golf's pyramid over the past year.
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