PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan says they can not compete financially with the Saudi-backed LIV Invitational Series in a statement issued ahead of the Travelers’ Championship.

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan says they can not compete financially with the Saudi-backed LIV Invitational Series in a statement issued ahead of the Travelers’ Championship. Four-time big winner Brooks Koepka has been confirmed as the latest big name player to leave the PGA Tour and join the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Invitational series. The former No. 1 in the world had already retired from this week’s Connecticut PGA Tour Championship in Connecticut and will then compete in the second event of the season’s LIV series in Oregon on June 30. He is followed by Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeSambo and Phil Mickelson in the series split. “There is no underestimation of the impact that Brooks Koepka has had on the game of golf over the last five years,” said Greg Norman, CEO and LIV Golf Commissioner. “He has a championship and a record of success as one of the finest players in the world. “The addition of Brooks is another example of the incredible pitches that LIV Golf brings together as we build momentum in our first season and look to the future.” Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Former world number one Rory McIlroy says he was surprised by Brooks Koepka’s decision to join the Saudi-backed LIV Invitational Series.
Former world number one Rory McIlroy says he was surprised by Brooks Koepka’s decision to join the Saudi-backed LIV Invitational Series. Former No. 1 in the world Rory McIlroy says he is surprised by the “double” behavior of some golfers who have switched to the LIV series. The PGA Tour has announced plans to compete with the LIV series, which includes cash prize increases from 2024 and a lucrative international “Autumn Series”. The new tournaments are expected to take place around the world and – like the LIV tournaments – will have no cuts. Twitter Due to your consent preferences, you may not view these Privacy Options
Genesis Invitational, Bay Hill Invitational, World Match Play, Memorial, Fed Ex St Jude and BMW Championship will all have $ 20 million wallets, while the Players’ Championship will reach $ 25 million. The regular season is also set to move from January to August, in contrast to the current September-August format. “I think going into the FedExCup season in a calendar year like January through August, I think it would be a great idea,” McIlroy said before the announcement. “So it gives kids a chance to play if they want to play in the fall or if they don’t want to play in the fall they don’t have to, they don’t have to, they’re not going to make a difference in any way. “But again, many of these fall events are destination events. Like Napa and Mexico and places where people want to bring their families and do a half golf tournament, half vacation. So I’ll still have kids who will play in some of these events. “But again, you’re trying to give gambling opportunities and cash prizes to the lower half of the members, but also trying to adjust what the upper half wants, saying they want a season off, away from the FedExCup Program. So it’s a balance. “ Revealing the upcoming changes, PGA tour commissioner Jay Monahan acknowledged that they could not compete financially for the LIV series, but predicted that the tour would “come out stronger because of the loyalty and support of the players and fans”. “I’m not naive. If it ‘s an arms race and the only weapons are dollars, the PGA Tour can not compete with a foreign monarchy that spends billions of dollars trying to buy the game of golf. “We salute the good healthy competition, the LIV series is not that. It’s an absurd threat, it does not care about the return on investment or the actual development of the game. At present, no organization owns or dominates the game of golf, instead of different entities to work together to meet our respective priorities, but focusing on the best interest of the game. Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Matt Fitzpatrick says he received a congratulatory phone call from Jack Nicklaus after his victory at the US Open in Brooklyn.
Matt Fitzpatrick says he received a congratulatory phone call from Jack Nicklaus after his victory at the US Open in Brooklyn. “But when one tries to buy the sport and dismantle institutions that are inherently invested in development and focus only on one personal priority, that cooperation evaporates. Instead, we end up with an individual, an entity, who uses endless amounts of money to direct employees to their personal goal, which may or may not change tomorrow or the next day. “I doubt that ‘s the vision any of us have for the game.” It was announced earlier this month that any players in the LIV series would be permanently excluded from the PGA Tour. As Koepka leaves, world No. 4 Collin Morikawa and two-time big winner Justin Thomas both denied that they were going to follow. Morikawa says he is “here to stay” on the PGA Tour while Thomas, who is out of the Travelers’ Championship due to injury, wrote on Twitter: something I improved on earlier this week. “I just make sure to take care of it and get it ready for the rest of the PGA season as planned. I do not like to miss one of my best / favorite @TravelersChamp events!”

How Koepka changed his tune

Koepka was asked about his distance before last week’s US Open and gave a harsh answer as to why he had apparently decided to stay on the PGA Tour. He said, “There was no other choice at this point, so where else would you go?” When the reporter pointed out that the LIV events had begun, Koepka added: “Since last week. That was it. I was not playing last week.” Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Brooks Koepka was disappointed by the series of questions he faced during the US Open press conference, saying that journalists were “throwing a dark cloud” over the competition.
Brooks Koepka was disappointed by the series of questions he faced during the US Open press conference, saying that journalists were “throwing a dark cloud” over the competition. He added: “I’m here. I’m here at the US Open. I’m ready to play the US Open and I think it sucks, too, you’re all throwing this black cloud over the US Open. It ‘s one of my favorite events. I do not know why. keep doing this. “The more legs you give him, the more you talk about it.” The total cash prize for the first eight LIV races is 200 200 million, with Charl Schwartzel winning 86 3.86 million £ when he won the opening 54-hole competition at the Centurion Club – almost three times the number claimed for his big success at the Masters in 2011.

The LIV Golf controversy: Explained

LIV golfers have been repeatedly discussed in press conferences about Saudi Arabia’s human rights record and whether they are playing in the league solely for monetary reasons. The split series is backed by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF) – the owners of Newcastle United – and includes huge sums of money for competitors. There are no official Golf World Rankings for LIV events, though CEO Greg Norman says an application will be made to change that. The inaugural event took place at the Centurion Club last week, with former top winners Dustin Johnson and Phi Mickelson among the 48, with seven more tournaments scheduled for the coming months. The Pumpkin Ridge GC in Portland from June 30 to July 2 and the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster from July 29 to 31 are the next two venues, with other US-based tournaments taking place in Boston from 2 until September 4 and in Chicago from September 16. 18. The Stonehill Golf Club in Bangkok is the venue from October 7 to 9 and the Royal Greens Golf Club – the venue of Saudi International in recent years – is hosting next week, with the team league ending the season then taking place in Trump National Doral Miami since October. 27-30. Get the best deals and book one of 1,700 courses across the UK and Ireland