Several big names in the golf world left the PGA Tour in favor of the LIV Golf Invitational Series on Wednesday morning.
Those who have stayed, both at this week’s RBC Canadian Open and others, are not happy.
“It’s a shame,” Justin Thomas said. “I mean, I think a lot of us are, I don’t know if being upset or tired is right [word]. I mean, it’s just one of those things. “
Bryson DeChambeau and Patrick Reed have agreed to join the controversial Saudi-backed golf league in their first stop in the United States in July. Rickie Fowler is also about to sign with LIV.
These three mark a significant development for LIV Golf, as Dustin Johnson was previously the only golf star still in the best of his career to leave the PGA Tour. Others such as Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood and Kevin Na have also left the Tour.
While DeChambeau and Reed are by no means the most beloved guys in the golf world, their presence on the LIV Golf series certainly adds a level of credibility.
Rory McIlroy: “It’s a shame”
Those who have gone to the golf league led by Greg Norman, especially Mickelson, have received a lot of criticism before this week’s first event in London.
It’s easy to see why. The new series is an obvious and clear example of Saudi Arabia trying to wash away its crimes and atrocities. The country is reportedly paying these golfers ridiculous amounts of money to play. Both Johnson and Mickelson received more than $ 100 million to join, and it appears that the country offered Tiger Woods about $ 1 billion, although he turned them down.
When some were asked about accepting money from Saudi Arabia knowing what the country has done, most of the players turned away or shut down. Talor Gooch said “I’m not that smart,” when asked directly, and Graeme McDowell insisted he didn’t have “the ability to have that conversation.”
Obviously, the money these players receive is a big draw. Rory McIlroy said Wednesday from the RBC Canadian Open that the money will have consequences.
The story goes on
“Any decision you make in your life that is purely for money in general doesn’t end up going the right way,” McIlroy said. “Obviously, money is a deciding factor in a lot of things in this world, but if it’s just for money, it’s not, it never seems, you know, it never seems to come out the way you want it to.
“And I’ve had it a couple of times before in my life and there are other things that are part of it as well. But it’s a weird time in professional golf, and I said it a couple of weeks ago, we’ll just have to see how It ‘s going to be this season and if any other guy decides to go in a different direction than the established circuits, I guess, and see which ones, I guess you’ll see the consequences. “
It is unclear what will happen next with the PGA Tour, which has not yet given any punishment or responded to the departure of several of its members. Johnson, Mickelson and others will still be able to play at the US Open this month, but PGA Tour events are almost certainly not available.
With so many things happening now, McIlroy said, golf as a whole has been hurt.
“It’s a shame it’s going to break the game,” McIlroy said. “I think if you have to, the professional game is the showcase in golf. If the general public is confused about who is playing where and what tournament there is this week … it becomes very confusing.
“I think everything has to try to be more cohesive and I think it went on a pretty good run until that happened.”
While Thomas, like McIlroy, said he doesn’t think Johnson and the others are bad people, that doesn’t mean he’s not disappointed with the moves.
“I wish he and the others hadn’t done it, but that’s his decision,” Thomas said. “I’ve been saying this all along, it’s like guys can do what they want. If they want to go, they can go, if they want to stay, they can stay.
“Selfishly, I think and I know that the PGA Tour is the best place to play in the world and it’s that the decision is theirs and that’s what it is, but just, I’d like it to be taken away or I want it. It wouldn’t take us away. of the great stories and things that are happening on a Tour that has been around for a long time and is in one of the best places it has ever been. It’s a shame these guys aren’t part of it. “
Justin Thomas and Rory McIlroy spoke Wednesday after Bryson DeChambeau, Patrick Reed and others joined the LIV Golf series. (Ben Jared / PGA TOUR via Getty Images)