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Viktor Hovland recently opened up about his opinions on the game of golf, saying that the PGA Tour and LIV Golf saga has made the sport quite 'soulless'. The World No. 4 spoke about the competition between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour and what the future of golf will hold.
Speaking on Butch Harmon's podcast, Son of a Butch, Viktor Hovland said that money has started having quite a big stake in the game, becoming a driving force for most. He said according to Golf.com:
“Obviously the LIV is bringing in a lot of money to the sport and there’s a lot of competition, which I think is good. But it seems to have been a response from the PGA Tour’s side, that OK, we’re going to — it’s just more talk about the money and I think that’s a little bit sad."
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Fans had mixed reactions to Hovland's comments. Some fans did agree that money was the driving force behind the need to play for many golfers. However, some others think that the long-standing tradition of PGA Tour events, especially the Majors, is what drives audiences to watch golf.
"Good but hoping 700 mil wont change his mind," one fan wrote.
"Hanging onto history is why PGA Tour had average age 64 TV audience," another fan wrote.
Here are some more reactions:
Viktor Hovland calls pro golf 'soulless' due to PGA Tour and LIV Golf tussle
Viktor Hovland said that it is the bigger tournaments that are starting to matter more, especially the Majors, the Memorial Tournament, the Players and other such big events. He however, pointed out that if golfers are only remembering the prize purse and not the game itself, then the game has reached a critical point.
“Yeah, that’s pretty cool. Obviously the paycheck is nice as well, but that’s — if that’s what you’re remembering by the end of the week, I kind of — that feels a little bit soulless, in my opinion. So, you know, it’s, yeah. I don’t know what the path forward is, to be honest. It’s been a little sad, but I try not to think about it too much," Hovland said during the same podcast.
For Viktor Hovland, the future of golf is quite uncertain. However, he hopes that a resolution can be found, and that the top golfers are able to play in the best tournaments across the world.
