Reports suggest Will Zalatoris turned down unreal offer from LIV Golf

Major winner Fred Couples claims that Will Zalatoris turned down a shocking offer to join LIV Golf. Per his report, the PGA Tour star was offered $130 million to defect but chose to stay with the Tour.

Couples said via Golf Digest:

“I don’t know anything about the LIV Tour, except they overpay all of them. Money is a zero object [for LIV]. I give Will a lot of credit; he wants [to stay with] the PGA Tour.”

Couples shares an agent with Zalatoris, which would explain why he has any insider information at all.

Money is how LIV Golf has been able to entice a lot of players. No matter what any of them say, the money is significantly better in LIV Golf and it absolutely played a role in their decision-making.

Phil Mickelson says he wanted to reshape golf, but it would have been outrageous for him to turn down $200 million that he reportedly earned for joining.

Couples mentioned:

“If you’re giving Phil Mickelson $200 million at age 52 to shoot 74 and 75, God bless you."

Not only are the signing bonuses good, but players routinely finish with more money than they would for certain placements than they would have on the PGA Tour.

Nevertheless, Will Zalatoris remained loyal to his tour and evidently refused quite the payday.

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Fred Couples blasts LIV Golf

Not only did Couples discuss Will Zalatoris near move to LIV Golf, but he also blasted the league. The 63-year-old believes that there's plenty of money there, and that players understandably are enticed by it.

He doesn't buy any of the other excuses, like Cameron Smith (who he did not name specifically) saying that he could attend friends' weddings and birthdays now.

Cameron Smith defected to LIV

Couples said via Sports Illustrated:

“I find that comical, because my favorite to ever play has five kids, 40 grandkids and he has never missed anything—and that was Jack Nicklaus."

He also took shots at Phil Mickelson, who he is admittedly a fan of. He said that LIV Golf players need to transition and stop talking about the PGA Tour when they do:

“Just go to the LIV Tour, but stop blasting something I’ve been a part of for 42 years. That’s my problem with (LIV golfers). They’re all bashing the PGA Tour, and that affects me a little bit."

He also decried the CW television deal that the rebel tour inked:

“It was on the CW a couple weeks ago, or whatever that channel everybody is laughing about. I turned it on three times. It was so bad. I couldn’t even watch anyone that I liked. They don’t show ‘em."

LIV is in the midst of an important year. The rebel tour finally secured a television deal, though it got off to a poor start, and they're obviously trying to poach more talent.

Unfortunately, Will Zalatoris was able to resist their charms and stay true to the PGA Tour.