(NEWS4USONLINE) – Wyndham Clark’s unexpected US Open victory last weekend shined a bright light through the sport’s cloudy future. For a brief moment, the news that the PGA Tour would be merging with LIV Golf was not the headline. Fans celebrated one of golf’s great traditions of crowning a new major champion, but what the future holds for the sport remains to be seen.
It is unclear at this point exactly how and to what extent this “merger” will affect the sport. However, we know that some players who stayed loyal to the PGA throughout the process feel deceived by the tour.
“There are a lot of unanswered questions,” said John Rahm. “You want to have faith in management and have faith that this is the best thing for all of us, but it is clear that that’s not the consensus. The general feeling is that a lot of people feel a bit of betrayal from management.”
Top players like Tiger Woods, John Rahm, and Jordan Spieth reportedly turned down lucrative contract offers from the Saudi-backed LIV Golf to remain with the PGA. The PGA had maintained they were not partnering with the rival league and that LIV golfers would no longer be allowed to play in PGA-hosted events. That sentiment has since changed.
Four-time major champion Rory McIlroy has been the PGA’s biggest supporter amongst the players on tour. Rory has remained loyal and held his ground since the emergence of LIV several years ago. McIlroy continuously voiced his frustrations regarding LIV Golf before the announcement that the two parties would now share a seat at the same table. At this point, he feels like the face of the PGA Tour regarding the LIV controversy.
“All I’ve wanted to do in the past year is protect the future of the PGA Tour and protect the aspirational nature of what the PGA tour stands for, and I hope that this does that,” said McIlroy.
True fans of the sport want to see the best players compete against each other in the biggest tournaments, so this is a win from that perspective. Unfortunately, it seems unfair to those on tour who did not bolt for huge guaranteed paydays and chose to take the moral high road.
“Nobody really knows what this is going to look like in the end. The players here just want the loyal players rewarded and not almost punished for staying. Jay (Monahan, the PGA commissioner) was quoted saying none of these players will ever come back and play on the PGA tour. That sort of feels like there may be an Avenue back now,” said longtime PGA player Geoff Ogilvy following a PGA Tour players meeting.
Whatever the end result may be, it would be nice to see the golfers that were true to the PGA Tour receive some compensation for their loyalty. Now that the two tours are merging, professional golf will most certainly have an abundance of riches to go around.
“I think ultimately this is going to be good for the game of professional golf. It unifies it, and it secures its financial future,” said Rory at the Canadian Open. “We can start to work toward some sort of way to unify the game at the elite level.”
Now it is on the PGA to repair its relationship with the athletes that stayed. The players did their part by remaining with the tour, so it’s time for the PGA to return the favor.
Top Photo Caption:
Wyndham Clark poses with the trophy after his one-stroke victory at the 2023 U.S. Open at The Los Angeles Country Club in Los Angeles, Calif. on Sunday, June 18, 2023. (James Gilbert/USGA)
Benjamin Verbrugge is a reporter for News4usonline who studied journalism at CSU Dominguez Hills. “Sports have brought me much joy throughout my life, and I want to give a little back to something that has meant so much to me.”