By Rahul Banerji
Tiger Woods pulled no punches in Scotland on Tuesday, calling out players who had opted to switch sides to LIV Golf at the expense of the PGA Tour.
“About players who have chosen to go to LIV and to play there, I disagree with it,” the modern game’s most influential figure said at a press conference ahead of the 150th holding of The Open.
“I think what they’ve done is they’ve turned their backs on what has allowed them to get to this position,” Tiger added in his scathing indictment at St Andrews.
Across the Atlantic, however, the PGA Tour found itself in some choppy waters with the US Justice Department opening an inquiry into its “anti-competitive behaviour” vis-à-vis LIV Golf.
At the home of golf though, it was Tiger’s strident statement to reporters that held centre stage on a day he joined past legends and current stars in a commemorative four-hole event at the Old Course.
“Some players have … gone right from the amateur ranks right into that organisation and never really got a chance to play out here and what it feels like to play a tour schedule or to play in some big events.
“And who knows what’s going to happen in the near future with world ranking points, the criteria for entering major championships. The governing body is going to have to figure that out.
Losing out
“Some of these players may not ever get a chance to play in major championships. That is a possibility. We don’t know that for sure yet. It’s up to all the major championship bodies to make that determination.
“But that is a possibility, that some players will never, ever get a chance to play in a major championship, never get a chance to experience this right here, walk down the fairways at Augusta National.
“I just don’t see how that move is positive in the long term for a lot of these players, especially if the LIV organisation doesn’t get world ranking points and the major championships change their criteria for entering the events.
“It would be sad to see some of these young kids never get a chance to experience it and experience what we’ve got a chance to experience and walk these hallowed grounds and play in these championships.”
Woods said professional golf had undergone a similar shakeout in the past but added there was a difference between then and now.
Past precedent
In 1968, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus engineered a breakaway from the PGA of America to propose a series of money-heavy events that led some years later to the establishment of the PGA Tour.
“I understand what Jack and Arnold did, because playing professional golf at a Tour level versus a club pro is different, and I understand that transition and that move and the recognition that a touring pro versus a club pro is.
“But what these players are doing for guaranteed money, what is the incentive to practice? What is the incentive to go out there and earn it in the dirt?
“You’re just getting paid a lot of money up front and playing a few events and playing 54 holes.”
Meanwhile, a report in the Wall Street Journal said the DoJ’s anti-trust division was looking into the PGA Tour’s hostile stand against LIV Golf’s players and moves to restrict their appearances in its events.
Both the PGA Tour and its European counterpart, the DP World Tour, have either banned, suspended or fined players who had crossed over the Saudi Arabia-funded initiative fronted by two-time Open winner Greg Norman.
WSJ and Golf Digest said that the US government arm had approached players over PGA Tour bylaws regarding participation in other golf events as well as its recent steps over LIV Golf and its events.
Norman no-no
And not surprisingly, the R&A over the weekend confirmed that it had asked two-time Open champion Norman to stay away from the 150th anniversary celebrations of the world’s oldest major championship.
Norman won The Open in 1986 at Turnberry and in 1993 at Royal St. George’s for his only two major titles.
On Saturday, the R&A said in a statement, “In response to enquiries regarding the R&A Celebration of Champions field and the Champions’ Dinner, we can confirm that we contacted Greg Norman to advise him that we decided not to invite him to attend on this occasion.
“The 150th Open is an extremely important milestone for golf and we want to ensure that the focus remains on celebrating the Championship and its heritage.
“Unfortunately, we do not believe that would be the case if Greg were to attend. We hope that when circumstances allow, Greg will be able to attend again in the future.”
“I’m disappointed. I would have thought the R&A would have stayed above it all given their position in world golf,” Norman told Australian Golf Digest..
“(It’s) petty, as all I have done is promote and grow the game of golf globally, on and off the golf course, for more than four decades.”
Also read: More European access to PGA Tour from next year after LIV attrition
Discover more from Tee Time Tales
Subscribe to get the latest posts to your email.