Xander Schauffele has always done well limiting distractions. This week’s PGA Championship champions dinner was no exception.
Schauffele’s menu, released Monday, received plenty of immediate praise and includes smoked goat cheese dates, pickled watermelon, clams casino shooters and steak and bleu cheese crostini as appetizers; Wagyu NY strip steak, served with blackened jumbo shrimp, whipped sweet potatoes and a bourbon bone marrow reduction for the main; and two dessert options, banana split and strawberry shortcake. Schauffele will also gift his fellow past PGA champions cigars and a humidor at the dinner, which dates to 1965.
Naturally, Schauffele was asked about the dinner, particularly the cuisine, on Tuesday afternoon at Quail Hollow Club. The defending PGA champ wasn’t about to take too much credit.
“The cigars I had input on,” Schauffele said. “I’m not going to lie, I’ve been at Quail – I feel like I’ve been here more than five times for sure, maybe six times, seven times. The food’s always been amazing. The chefs here do a great job. The only thing I said was sort of steak, and I didn’t even look at the menu, to be completely honest. I just trusted what they had. I knew they’d do a good job.”
Schauffele added, however, that he did offer one suggestion.
“I saw a lot of bleu cheese on there,” Schauffele said. “I think we’re kind of tweaking it a little bit, from the last of my knowledge, or making it a little bit more customized; you can have some on or not because it’s sort of a really strong, you either like it or you don’t thing. My thought was I wanted everyone to enjoy the meal and have a nice time.
“The cigars, apparently there will be someone rolling cigars tonight. Maybe I might tuck some for later. We’ll see if I smoke some tonight.”
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