US Open: What have the players said this week about the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Invitational Series? | Golf News

The LIV Golf Invitational Series has continued to dominate the golfing headlines ahead of the 122nd US Open, but what have the players had to say about the Saudi-backed circuit?

The opening event took place at the Centurion Club last week, with further PGA Tour players already committed to the next tournament in Portland later this month, while golf’s governing bodies have had differing ways of deciding how to punish those involved.

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan indefinitely suspended its members who played the first Greg Norman-fronted tournament last week, while the DP World Tour confirmed that no decision had yet been made when Keith Pelley sent a letter to their members on Tuesday.

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PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan admitted it has been a difficult week for the Tour but is adamant that it will not allow those who have decided to play on the LIV Tour a ‘free ride’ to the ‘true pure competition’ the PGA offers.

What did the players think of the inaugural event? Can they see the series being a success? Here’s what this week’s US Open field said when asked in their pre-tournament media obligations at The Country Club in Brookline…

Why would players leave the PGA Tour in their prime?

The big-money circuit has its undoubted selling points for those in the twilight of their careers, although Rory McIlroy and Billy Horschel have both questioned the eagerness of players wanting to make the switch.

“I can understand the guys towards the later stages of their careers and the guys early in their careers who don’t have any status, but it’s the guys in the middle that I’m not totally clear why they’re doing what they’re doing,” Horschel told Sky Sports News.

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Billy Horschel says he doesn’t understand why players who are in the prime of their career have decided to join the Saudi backed LIV Golf Series.

They have chances to be considered one of the best players and legends in the game of golf so, to me, it looks like a financial decision. That’s a decision they’ve made, but I don’t think it’s great for the game of golf. It’s a tough thing to see right now.”

McIlroy added: “I just think for a lot of the guys that are going to play that are younger, sort of similar age to me or a little younger than me, it seems like quite short-term thinking, and they’re not really looking at the big picture. I’ve just tried to sort of see this with a wider lens from the start.

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Rory McIlroy says the controversy over players joining the LIV Golf Series will continue to fracture the game until agreements and compromises are reached.

“That’s why I don’t understand for the guys that are a similar age to me going because I would like to believe that my best days are still ahead of me, and I think theirs are too. So that’s where it feels like you’re taking the easy way out.”

Rickie Fowler has been heavily linked with the breakaway series, having struggled on the PGA Tour in recent seasons, although the American is adamant that no decision has been made regarding his future.

“Unfortunately, there has been a lot of false accusations that have come out,” Fowler told Sky Sports News. “I haven’t made any sort of decision. I’ve stood by that I believe the PGA Tour is the best place to play, has been, and currently is.

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Five time winner Rickie Fowler says that the PGA Tour ‘needs to evolve’ in order to keep the best players, and admits that he is interested by the sound of the Saudi backed LIV Golf Series.

“I would love to see it be that way in the future, but some things I feel do need to evolve and change. So that’s where I’m at. I’m definitely enjoying the ride. It’s been interesting more about both sides, PGA Tour and LIV. But yeah, that’s pretty much where I’m at.

“It’s becoming more and more divided, which is not what I want to see. With LIV it is a very different format. I feel in the perfect world there’s a way they can co-exist. You have the traditional 72 holes of golf, then 54 with the team aspect. Like I said, just trying to learn as much as I can.”

What impact could the LIV Golf series have on golf globally?

Players resigning from the PGA Tour are no longer eligible to compete in the Presidents Cup, while the PGA of American and DP World Tour are yet to comment on whether players playing in the LIV series can still play in the Ryder Cup.

“I tossed and turned and lost a lot of sleep last week thinking about what could potentially happen,” Justin Thomas told the media on Tuesday. “I grew up my entire life wanting to play the PGA Tour, wanting to break records, make history, play Presidents Cups, play Ryder Cups.

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Justin Thomas says he has been saddened by the recent developments surrounding LIV Golf and reiterated his desire to continue playing on the PGA Tour.

“The fact that things like that could potentially get hurt because of some of the people that are leaving, and if more go, it’s just sad. It’s really no other way to say it. It just makes me sad, because like I said, I’ve grown up my entire life wanting to do that, and I don’t want to do anything else.”

World No 1 Jon Rahm defended compatriot Sergio Garcia’s decision to join the LIV Golf series, potentially putting his Ryder Cup future at risk, although admitted he is concerned about the impact any future sanctions by golf’s governing bodies could have on the biennial contest.

“I think the one thing that keeps coming to me out of all this and what can happen, is I hope the Ryder Cup doesn’t suffer,” Rahm said. “I think the Ryder Cup is the biggest attraction the game of golf has to bring new people in. I had such a good time with him [Garcia] on the golf course and on the previous one in Paris [Le Golf National, 2018].

“I hope we don’t lose the essence and the aspect that the Ryder Cup is. That’s one of my biggest concerns, to be honest. It’s an event we all play for free, and it’s one of our favourite weeks, win or lose. I think that says a lot about the game and where I wish it would be at.”

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Jon Rahm says that he can understand the allure of joining the LIV Golf Series but says the competition format doesn’t appeal to him.

Speculation on what may happen next and who will add their name to the LIV Golf roster has become a daily part of the golfing news cycle, with reigning Wells Fargo Championship winner Max Homa enjoying the drama unfold.

“It’s chaos!” Homa told Sky Sports News. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t a little entertaining. Constant rumours. It’s nice to find some things are rumours. It’s a weird time, I’m sure every generation probably says they lived through the weirdest time of their sport, but this feels about the weirdest thing that could happen to golf.

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World number 23 Max Homa admits that the controversy surrounding the LIV Golf Series ‘is entertaining’ but says that the legacy that he can build on the PGA Tour is making him want to stay.

“People are getting angry. I’m just trying to stick to what I’m doing, and selfishly enjoy some of the chaos.”

What defence have players had for joining LIV Golf?

2020 US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau is one of the biggest names to commit to the Saudi circuit, with the eight-time PGA Tour winner admitting that the move was primarily a “business decision”.

“There was a lot of financials to it and a lot of time,” DeChambeau said. “I get to have a life outside of the game of golf as well. I think we’ll have a new legacy. It [deciding to join] was very difficult. It’s been weighing on everybody out here for the past couple of years.

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Bryson DeChambeau says the LIV Golf move was a business decision but insists he is not planning to resign from the PGA Tour.

“For me, what’s gone on has not been great but they [Saudi Arabia] are moving in the right direction from what I can see and what we’ve had conversations about. I would love to play PGA Tour events when they would allow me to.”

Will Zalatoris was elected to the Players Advisory Council earlier this year, having only been promoted the top-tier in 2020, with the American believing he is making the right decision by pledging his allegiance to the PGA Tour.

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WIll Zalatoris says that it has been a life goal of his to play on the PGA Tour but says that people are free to make their own choices in regards to joining LIV golf.

“It’s everyone’s decision, nobody is telling you that you have to go or have to do this, do that, it’s your choice,” Zalatoris told Sky Sports News. “Whether you like it or not, it’s kind of like politics. You may have different views but at the end of the day, you’ve still got to respect the guys.

“We play on the best Tour in the world, we’ve got a great pipeline of young players that come up through the ranks. It’s an exciting time because the Tour has been in the best spot it’s ever been. Over the next seven to eight years it’s going to get better and better every year.

“To see guys jump ship, it’s not like we’re slumming here, this is a pretty great life that we have. The guys on LIV, no disrespect to them, but they’ve obviously earned their way out here and they were given a gift. What happens without the PGA Tour? They wouldn’t be there.”