This could make things even more interesting.
It will be interesting.
They are going to need a decent TV deal if they are going to continue.
And, many PGA players that stayed are saying there should be a financial penalty for the LIV guys to come back
Actually, if the PGA wants to play this right they should let anybody who leaves LIV to come back. Of course they would have to qualify. I don’t think Dustin Johnson will have much trouble with that.
The great Jack Nicklaus said when asked about LIV: “It’s a shame the best golfers in the world can’t play each other every weekend.”
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On the basis of what? Personal pettiness?
If someone left the PGA to go travel or care for a sick family member, would that person be subjected to this kind of middle finger upon returning?
LIV was a threat to PGA’s hegemony, not a moral outrage. This kind of sourpuss attitude only proves the PGA does indeed need more competition.
From what I can tell, yes.
First, for the disclaimer, I am not a big golf fan, so I may have missed something. With that said, I recall that when the merger between the PGA and LIV was being discussed some PGA players wanted the issue of the money the LIV golfers had been paid to be addressed. Apparently they weren’t too keen on the LIV players keeping the boatloads of money they had gotten while at the same time getting the benefits of a unified tour while the PGA players who didn’t leave for LIV weren’t similarly compensated.
I had not read anything about any demanding any LIV players who return to the PGA pay a financial penalty, but I could have missed that. Is that the case?
I agree with your basic point. However, I think LIV screwed up big-time with their approach. If you start by paying players beaucoup bucks to join your tour before they have even played one round of golf and then use a four-player team format with fifty-four holes, how compelling is that to watch? Moreover, how well does a format like that prepare a player for a high-pressure tournament like the Masters? And, when LIV players can’t get world rating points due to that format, how well does that serve your league?
If LIV had been smart, they would have given some financial incentive for players to move up-front followed by king-sized tournament paydays. And, they would have kept the standard seventy-two hole format. That would have made from some compelling golf, plus LIV players could still have had world ranking points.
I don’t think it is a coincidence that LIV players have, for the most part, been non-factors in the major tournaments. As one example, Jon Rahm was a force on the PGA. After he left to join LIV for $300 million, he has not been the same. He totally collapsed in the final round of the Masters this year. I can’t help but wonder if things might have been different had he not taken $300 million up-front and been playing fifty-four hole team golf the past few years.
And, if reports are to be believed, Rahm now has some regrets over going to LIV, as he misses playing in several PGA venues. I also read that Rahm assumed that a PGA - LIV merger would take place very shortly after he joined LIV, so he probably figured he could pocket his $300 million and end up back in the PGA venues at the same time. Little did he know how things would turn out to date.
Edit: Rahm collapsed in the final round of the PGA Tournament. Bryson DeChambeau faded in the final round of the Masters.
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It was very interesting how the PGA purses grew quite a bit after LIV appeared.
I saw an interview recently, but can’t remember who or where.