PGA Tour golfers Tiger Woods and Patrick Cantlay were labelled petty, vindictive and greedy’ over the latest rumour surrounding the LIV Golf League.
Prominent golf journalist Alan Shipnuck labelled PGA Tour golfers Tiger Woods and Patrick Cantlay ‘petty, vindictive and greedy’ after a wild rumour surfaced.
According to Bloomberg, the ceasefire between the tour and the golf rival and the Liga League LIV approached after both officials met in New York last week.
However, it has a huge and potentially dirty warning. Some PGA Tour players are seeking repayment of huge amounts paid to them by Saudi Arabia’s PIF before LIV players can return to their former employers.
Jon Rahm, Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Smith were reportedly paid more than $100 million up front as joining fees to the leaving club.
Another pathway back for the ‘rebels per the report, suggested that LIV golfers could pay fines, forfeit future earnings or donate money to charity.
The topic of how to reintroduce LIV players to the fold has been addressed multiple times over the past two years
It\’s clear that some players, such as Woods, have strong feelings about it. World No. 1 Scotty Scheffler stressed to players at TPC Sawgrass that there were some caveats before returning.
As for Woods, he said there had been “daily conversations” in February about the possible return of LIV players. “We’re looking at ways back in all the different models,” Woods said.
“What that looks like, how that impacts the players who stayed and didn’t leave, and how we make our product better in the future — that’s an unanswered question right now.
We’re looking at different levels of ideas, and we don’t know what that will be in the short term, but we don’t know what it will be in the long term.
“Trust me, I’m getting emails and conversations every day, every week about this and what this means for the tour going forward.”
Needless to say, this latest rumor has received mixed reactions from golf fans online.
Joel Beal of Golf Digest said the Bloomberg report is false. \ “LIV players return the money, in particular, the frames are not that which holds the potential PGA Tour-Pif transaction, the sources tell me, he painted on X.
How to integrate LIV players back, and how the future of LIV looks in a single game (the current ITERTION LIV was probably made, but will be nearby in one form or another).”
The aforementioned Shipnuck, who wrote the whole book about Mikelson, said that Woods and his colleague in Politics Kanlay would simply justify.
He wrote: “No LIV golfer will give back the money they received (and spent!) two years ago. No wonder Dunn, Stevenson and Flaherty were fired. Revenge is not a productive negotiating strategy.
Shipnack was referring to former PGA Tour officials Jimmy Dunn, Randall Stevenson and Mark Flaherty.
Dunn initially contacted PIF Governor Yasser Al Rumayyan via WhatsApp to ask for a peace agreement, but resigned as PGA Tour political committee member in May.
Dunn, one of Rory McIlroy’s closest allies, expressed frustration at the lack of progress between the Tour and PIF, which no longer requires his involvement.
Stevenson resigned last July, citing the fact that he could not support an agreement with LIV in light of the US intelligence report on the death of Jamal Khashoggi. Flaherty will step down in May 2024.