The LIV Golf-PGA Tour merger has been the flash point in the structure of golf competition ever since its plans came to the forefront. While the announcement happened quite a while back, there is almost constant attention on how it is going. The most recent flash in the pan was when it was revealed that some players felt that it was unfair that LIV Golfers would keep their earnings, which are in the hundreds of millions.
The report was confirmed by Matt Fitzpatrick, who was asked whether the bad blood between the two tournaments’ golfers was starting to clear. He said, “Not necessarily. I think there’s probably some players in the States, their feelings, I don’t think they would be very happy.” PGA Tour golfers such as Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods, and others have been quite vocal about their strong dislike of the whole LIV Golf concept.
While many players are involved in the merger talks, it would seem that some players harbor a much stronger dislike for change than others. Rory McIlroy, particularly, has been very critical of LIV Golf from the beginning. However, his stance has somewhat softened recently as he said, “They both want the same thing too. It’s a matter of getting all the different constituents on board,”.
This week will be a big step in the saga as a joint tournament is being held at the Dunhill Golf Links in Kingsbarn where PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan and LIV Golf owner Yasir Al-Rumayyan will be playing alongside several PGA Tour and LIV Golf professionals. But what does Matt Fitzpatrick think of a merger between the two tournaments?
Matt Fitzpatrick airs views
Matt Fitzpatrick had also been quite vocal about his dislike of the Saudi PIF-owned breakaway tournament, saying that he didn’t think it was fair that certain players could play in both tournaments. However, things appear to have changed as he conveyed his thought process, saying, “My issue was always, at the start, anyway, is you’ve gone over there. Like I don’t feel like it’s fair for you to try and come back and play, as well. But I would say I’ve changed on that now.” He also said that he wants to focus on himself rather than think about what is going on in the lives of other players.
The Englishman also asserted that while he never harbored a desire to leave the PGA Tour and join LIV Golf, he understood why some golfers did. He said, “I’ve always said that I understood why people went. I’ve got no issues with that. No issues at all.” While LIV Golf has lured top players from both the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, the European Tour has been much more amiable in collaborating with the breakaway league. Some LIV Golf players have come back to play on the DP World Tour and more recently, LIV Golf Individual Champion Jon Rahm returned to play on home soil in a DP World Tour event.
So while all is not rosy for the merger, there is progress being made and issues being resolved. The change in perspective by Fitzpatrick and McIlroy is testament to the grinding out of an agreement for the good of the game.
