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The PGA Tour is on shaky ground right now, as the Saudi-backed LIV Golf League has sprung up and gotten several notable athletes involved, including Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and many others. Coupled with that, Tiger Woods has turned down nearly $1 billion to join the league.
The PGA Tour members, led by Woods, are meeting today to discuss the threat that the LIV Golf League poses to them and their league. The meeting is said to take place in Wilmington, Delaware and will involve some of the top 20 players in the PGA Tour and other prominent figures who haven't defected to LIV.
This is an important and rather unprecedented issue for the PGA Tour. No other golf league has challenged them in such a brazen manner, and the emergency meeting is indicative of their growing concern.
Woods himself is not participating in the tournament being held there, but is going to fly in for the meeting, further emphasizing its importance. According to a few players attending the meeting:
"It's a meeting to get the top 20 players in the world on the same page on how we can continue to make the PGA Tour the best product in professional golf."
What will the PGA Tour players meeting offer?
Coupled with addressing the rising concerns, the meeting is also reported to potentially discuss the future of the PGA Tour's commissioner, Jay Monahan. However, he is expected to conduct his own meeting with the players once prior proceedings come to a close.
Tiger Woods has been open about his disdain for the LIV Golf League, as if his refusal to accept somewhere between $700 and $800 billion to join wasn't clear enough. He stated:
“Greg (Norman) has done some things that I don’t think are in the best interest of our game, and we’re coming back to probably the most historic and traditional place in our sport. I believe it’s the right thing... I know Greg tried to do this back in the early ’90s. It didn’t work then, and he’s trying to make it work now. I still don’t see how that’s in the best interests of the game.”
Woods believes the money given out up front and the strange setting in which LIV Golf conducts itself is detrimental to the sport and its players.
Why are prominent golfers ditching the PGA Tour?
Despite the vitriol and uncertainty surrounding the current proceedings, the list of notable golfers who have defected to LIV Golf is alarming:
- Dustin Johnson
- Brooks Koepka
- Phil Mickelson
- Bryson DeChambeau
- Kevin Na
- Patrick Reed
- Jason Kokrak
- Talor Gooch
- Sergio Garcia
- Bubba Watson
They've all given various reasons. Phil Mickelson, who wanted a fresh start, opined:
"After 32 years, this new path is a fresh start, one that is exciting for me at this stage of my career and is clearly transformative, not just for myself, but ideally for the game and my peers. I also love the progressive format and think it will be exciting for fans. Just as importantly, it will provide balance, allowing me to focus on a healthier approach to life on and off the course.
He further expressed his gratitude, stating:
I am incredibly grateful for what this game and the PGA Tour has given me. I would like to think that I have given back as well but now I am excited about this new opportunity."
Meanwhile, others such as DeChambeau cited business decisions and the ability to make more money with LIV as reasons for his departure.
