Tag: Public Investment Fund

Rory McIlroy won’t return to PGA Tour Policy Board after ‘uncomfortable’ response from players

“There was a subset of people on the board that were maybe uncomfortable with me coming back on,” he said.

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The PGA Tour’s best players are at Quail Hollow Club this week for the sixth of eight $20 million signature events this season, but the early discussion so far at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship has been focused off the course.

PGA Tour Policy Board member Webb Simpson had planned to step down from his role and have Rory McIlroy – who resigned from the board back in November – take his place. After some “complicated” and “messy” discussions, Simpson will see out his term which ends in 2025 after players voiced their concerns about McIlroy returning.

“There’s been a lot of conversations,” McIlroy said with a coy smile, noting how the discussions partly reminded him of why he left the policy board in the first place. “It got pretty complicated and pretty messy and I think with the way it happened, I think it opened up some old wounds and scar tissue from things that have happened before.”

“There was a subset of people on the board that were maybe uncomfortable with me coming back on for some reason,” he added. “I think the best course of action is if, you know, there’s some people on there that aren’t comfortable with me coming back on, then I think Webb just stays on and sees out his term, and I think he’s gotten to a place where he’s comfortable with doing that and I just sort of keep doing what I’m doing. I put my hand up to help and it was — I wouldn’t say it was rejected, it was a complicated process to get through to put me back on there. So that’s all fine, no hard feelings and we’ll all move on.”

Simpson contradicted McIlroy no less than an hour later and denied any negative sentiment towards the world No. 2’s potential return to the board.

“I think the players on the board were very supportive of him being more involved, and in those conversations I think they all see the vital role he plays not only on the PGA Tour, but he’s a DP World Tour member and they’re such an important piece in the game of golf and our Tour,” said Simpson, who also noted he didn’t get any sense that McIlroy wasn’t welcomed. “So his perspective is tremendous to us. He’s a global player, always has been, so I just think his views are important, and the other guys feel the same.”

Wells Fargo Championship 2024
Rory McIlroy in action during the pro am at Quail Hollow Club on May 9, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo: Andrew Redington/Getty Images)

McIlroy, who has been on the front lines for the PGA Tour in its battle with LIV Golf, joined the board in 2022 and was supposed to serve out his term until the end of this year until he abruptly resigned late last fall. McIlroy was then replaced by Jordan Spieth via a board vote. After sticking up for the Tour for the better half of two years, his decision to bail on the board didn’t sit well with his colleagues.

“He was very clear that it was too much for him. He had business dealings, he has a kid, he wants to focus on his game. Trust me, I get it. But once you quit, you’re not getting back,” Kevin Streelman, a former member of the policy board who ran against McIlroy for Player Advisory Council chairman, told Golfweek. “I wouldn’t quit on something that you were elected to by your peers. To want back in is peculiar.”

Since he left the board, McIlroy has been adamant and outspoken on why the Tour needs to get a deal done with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund – LIV’s financial backer – in order to reunite the game.

“Golf and the PGA Tour has been so good to me over the years, I just feel like it’s my obligation or duty to try to give back and try to set the next generation of players up like we were set up by the previous generation,” McIlroy said of his reasoning to try and rejoin the board after stepping down. “I think there’s a responsibility with every generation to try to leave the Tour, leave the place that you’re playing in a bit of a better spot than it was before. That’s what it’s about.”

Despite being stiff-armed out of consideration, McIlroy is “still optimistic” a deal will get done and believes Simpson staying on “is a really good thing.”

“I think he’s got a really balanced voice in all of this and I think he sees the bigger picture, which is great,” McIlroy explained. “My fear was if Webb stepped off and it wasn’t me that was going in his place, what could potentially happen. Yeah, I’m really happy that Webb has made that decision to stay on and serve out the rest of his term.”

As a 35-year-old from Northern Ireland, McIlroy made an interesting comparison of the current state of professional golf to the Good Friday Agreement that brought peace to Northern Ireland and Ireland in the 1990s.

“I would say I’m impatient because I think we’ve got this window of opportunity to get (a deal) done, because both sides from a business perspective I wouldn’t say need to get it done, but it makes sense,” he explained. “I sort of liken it to like when Northern Ireland went through the peace process in the ’90s and the Good Friday Agreement, neither side was happy. Catholics weren’t happy, Protestants weren’t happy, but it brought peace and then you just sort of learn to live with whatever has been negotiated, right?”

“That’s sort of how I, it’s my little I guess way of trying to think about it and trying to make both sides see that there could be a compromise here. Yeah, it’s probably not going to feel great for either side, but if it’s a place where the game of golf starts to thrive again and we can all get back together, then I think that’s ultimately a really good thing.”

The Tour’s Chief Competitions Officer Tyler Dennis wasn’t able to provide a material update on the status of the conversations between the PIF and the Tour, but did note the discussions are still ongoing and positive.

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LIV Golf continues to plan for future, hires longtime Pepsi executive at Chief Marketing Officer

With the state of professional golf in flux, LIV Golf is ramping up for the future.

With the state of professional golf in flux, LIV Golf is ramping up for the future.

Last month the league announced a handful of new high-level hires that added experience and stability at the executive level, and on Monday morning LIV announced yet another addition. Adam Harter has been named LIV’s new Chief Marketing Officer, where he will lead all marketing activities, help develop league and team brands and contribute to growing a global fan base. Harter has already started working with the league and will report to Commissioner and CEO Greg Norman.

Harter previously spent 22 years at PepsiCo, where he most recently served as senior vice president of Media, Sports and Entertainment. He oversaw sponsorship deals with the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB, and worked with athletes such as LeBron James, Kyrie Irving – remember those Uncle Drew videos? – Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. He also worked with the Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show for more than a decade and collaborated with music artists like Jay-Z, Beyonce, Justin Timberlake, Jennifer Lopez and Dr. Dre. His work in sport and entertainment should fit well with LIV’s festival-like atmosphere at events.

“Adam brings a unique, world-class set of skills and experience that will bolster LIV Golf’s ongoing work and create incredible new opportunities to develop our league and team brands,” said LIV Golf Commissioner and CEO Greg Norman in a press release. “The addition of executives like Adam will help expand and deliver on the league’s long-term goals as we continue to reach fans across the world in new and exciting ways.”

The hiring is yet another maneuver as LIV Golf continues to carve out and expand its corner of the sports landscape.

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Why isn’t LIV Golf returning to Rich Harvest Farms? League picks new course near Chicago for 2024 individual championship

The league will end its two-year relationship with Rich Harvest Farms later this season.

Nearly midway through its 14-event 2024 season, LIV Golf has finally announced the host course for its regular season finale.

Bolingbrook Golf Club in Bolingbrook, Illinois, 30 minutes outside of Chicago, will host the 2024 Individual Championship, Sept. 13-15, ending the league’s two-year relationship with Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Illinois.

“It’s been decided that after two successful seasons at Rich Harvest Farms, the club’s membership will not have any disruptions to its play this year,” Rich Harvest Farms General Manager Jonathan Meagher told Golfweek. “We are pleased to see that LIV Golf continues to have an event in the Chicagoland area.”

Meagher also noted a LIV Golf to Rich Harvest Farms has not been ruled out for any year past 2024.

The 13th tournament of the season, the LIV Golf Chicago event will determine team seeds for the 2024 Team Championship (location to be announced), crown the season’s individual champion and solidify player status for 2025. Tickets will go on sale Wednesday, May 8.

“The passionate sports fans of Chicago have embraced the intense competition and fan-first experience that LIV Golf delivers, and this year it will be an incredible setting for a high-stakes event as players battle it out for the individual title and a roster spot for 2025,” said Commissioner and CEO Greg Norman. “We’re thrilled to return to Illinois with an event at Bolingbrook Golf Club as we celebrate the season-long race and set the stage for the 2024 finale.”

For those unfamiliar with Bolingbrook Golf Club, the course was designed by architect Arthur Hills and his partner Steve Forrest, and features a 156-yard island green on the 15th hole.

This week the league will tee up its seventh event of the season at Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore, May 3-5.

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LIV Golf announces handful of new executive-level hires, including a Chief Financial Officer

LIV Golf has once again bet on itself with key hirings to stay competitive and reach a younger, global audience.

On Wednesday morning LIV Golf announced a handful of new high-level hires as the league continues to add experience and stability at the executive level.

David Phillipps, former Chief Financial Officer for the Equinox Group and Senior Vice President of Finance at Endeavor, has been named the league’s new Chief Financial Officer. Phillipps will report to LIV Golf CEO and Commissioner Greg Norman.

Additional hires include Ross Hallett as EVP, Head of Events, Katie O’Reilly as EVP, Head of Team Business Operations, and Pam Sacree as Head of Human Resources. Tim Taylor, who has managed LIV Golf’s global financial operations for more than two years, will lead LIV’s London office and report to Phillipps.

“We’re proud to continue building on our tremendous success so far with the addition of top-flight executives across our business divisions,” said Norman via a press release. “Our players, our team franchises and our growing staff are laser-focused on the league’s long-term future, supporting the game, attracting more fans to the sport that we love, and establishing a truly international golf league.”

Hallett previously served as SVP and Head of Golf Events for IMG. O’Reilly joins from the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers, where she served as Chief Revenue Officer. Sacree has formerly held human resources roles with the likes of Madison Square Garden, Cablevision Systems Corporation and AIG.

All three will report to Chief Operating Officer Lawrence Burian, who was hired from Madison Square Garden last October in the wake of LIV Golf’s 2023 Team Championship event.

“We’re excited to welcome this team of proven and highly respected leaders whose breadth of experience makes them uniquely suited to help lead LIV Golf into the future,” Burian said. “As LIV Golf continues to build on its momentum and transform the sport, dedicated and veteran professionals like David, Ross, Katie, Tim and Pam will be the backbone of our growing global businesses. We’re thrilled to have these leaders on our team who share LIV Golf’s values, passion and commitment to elevating our league for years to come.”

As questions remain over the future of professional golf, LIV Golf has once again bet on itself with key hirings to stay competitive in the landscape and reach a younger, global audience.

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LIV Golf’s Greg Norman shows up at Augusta National to support his players at Masters 2024

There are 13 LIV players in the field this year, down from 18 last year.

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Ahead of last year’s 2023 Masters, LIV Golf CEO and Commissioner Greg Norman said there would be a party on the 18th green if one of his players were to win at Augusta National. An invitation was withheld from Norman in 2023 “to keep the focus on the competition” after Norman and company blew up professional golf as we know it.

This year, the Great White Shark showed up to the party among the Georgia pines on Wednesday with a pair of LIV executives.

“I’m here because we have 13 players that won 10 Masters between them,” Norman told the Washington Post. “So I’m here just to support them, do the best I can to show them, ‘Hey, you know, the boss is here rooting for you.’”

In 23 appearances at the Masters as a player, Norman logged eight top-five finishes, including a trio of runners-up showings highlighted by his blown six-shot lead on Sunday in 1996. This year marks Norman’s first time back at Augusta National since 2021 when he was a SiriusXM radio analyst.

Earlier on Wednesday, Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley addressed LIV Golf and their desire for a special qualification criteria.

MASTERS: Live updates | Thursday tee times | TV, streaming

“Now, historically, and as stated in our qualification criteria, we consider international players for special invitations,” Ridley continued. “But we do look at those every year and we, I will say that if we felt that there were a player or players, whether they played on the LIV tour or any other tour, who were deserving of an invitation to the Masters, that we would exercise that discretion with regard to special invitations.”

In fact, one was given to LIV’s Joaquin Niemann due to his performances on the DP World Tour over the last several months. Norman thinks a few more players should have been invited.

“I think there’s probably a couple that have been overlooked that should be in,” Norman said. “What is that number? I’m not going to give it a definitive number, but they’re definitely quality players that have done incredible performances over the last six to nine months that are worthy of it.”

There are 13 LIV players in the field of 89 this week, down from the 18 that made their way down Magnolia Lane in 2023.

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Why LIV Golf players shouldn’t hold their breath for a new Masters qualification criteria

If a player not already exempt wants a spot in the Masters, it’s up to them to go and earn it, like Joaquin Niemann.

AUGUSTA, Ga. — When LIV Golf’s Joaquin Niemann was announced as one of three players to receive a special invitation to the 2024 Masters, the folks at Augusta National pointed to his three top-five finishes on the DP World Tour this season, including his win at the Australian Open last December.

They also referenced his previous Masters appearances and 2018 Latin American Amateur Championship. They did not, however, reference any of his accolades on the Saudi-backed league.

During his annual press conference on Wednesday ahead of this year’s Masters, chairman Fred Ridley addressed how the club evaluates LIV players and whether a special qualification criteria would be created for those who play outside of the Official World Golf Ranking jurisdiction.

“As you know, we’re on the board of the OWGR. We believe that it is a legitimate determiner of who the best players in the game are,” Ridley said. “There’s been communication that’s been public regarding, you know, the LIV’s application, which it subsequently was withdrawn after some remedial suggestions were made regarding pathways and access to players and concern about some of the aspects of team golf.”

MASTERS: Live updates | Thursday tee times | TV, streaming

“But I think in our case, we’re an invitational, and we can adjust as necessary. I mean, a great example is this year Joaquin Niemann was given a special invitation,” Ridley added. “We felt that Joaquin had not only a great record coming up to this year, but after his season, you know, he went to Australia, played very well there, finished fourth in the Australian PGA, won the Australian Open, one of the great, great championships in the world. And we thought he was deserving of a special invitation.”

Once again, no mention of his pair of LIV Golf wins this season.

“Now, historically, and as stated in our qualification criteria, we consider international players for special invitations,” Ridley continued. “But we do look at those every year and we, I will say that if we felt that there were a player or players, whether they played on the LIV tour or any other tour, who were deserving of an invitation to the Masters, that we would exercise that discretion with regard to special invitations.”

Long story short, and much to the chagrin of the likes of Bryson DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson, LIV players shouldn’t be holding their breath for any new qualification criteria in the near future.

With guaranteed contracts and very little turnover due to LIV’s forgiving relegation system, the chairman noted how it would be difficult to establish a point system that had any connection to the rest of the world of golf because of LIV’s “closed shop” format. That said, as an invitational, the Masters has the ability to give, as Ridley calls it, “subjective consideration” to players based on talent and performance.

“Our goal is to have, to the greatest extent possible, the best field in golf, the best players in the world,” Ridley explained. “Having said that, we never have had all the best players in the world because of the structure of our tournament. It’s an invitational. It’s a limited field, it’s a small field.”

The Masters and Augusta National play by their own rules, and as an independent major, they have every right to do so. Here’s the quiet part out loud: playing 14 LIV events isn’t going to cut it for the green jackets to extend an invite. If a player not already exempt wants a spot in the exclusive field, it’s up to them to go and earn it, like Niemann. It won’t be handed out like a signing bonus.

Professional golf has long been a meritocracy, and it’s no surprise that a club steeped in tradition like Augusta National is sticking to that spirit.

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Brooks Koepka is back in his element at Augusta National, and that’s bad news for the 2024 Masters field

Koepka won’t share what he learned from last year’s Masters loss, but he certainly won’t let it happen again.

AUGUSTA, Ga. — As a kid growing up in South Florida, Brooks Koepka always dreamed of winning major championships when he was practicing at his dad’s course.

That desire to be the best has fueled Koepka for 33 years and guided him to an incredible tally of five major championships in a six-year span (two of which were riddled with injuries). While he’s never won at Augusta National Golf Club, Koepka has finished runner-up twice and in the top 10 three times in eight previous Masters appearances.

His most recent close call for a green jacket occurred at last year’s Masters, when Koepka held at least a share of the lead after each of the first three rounds before he was caught by Jon Rahm on the final 18. Koepka ended up tied for second with Phil Mickelson.

After his PGA Championship win last summer, Koepka said he learned a lesson as to why he lost his lead Sunday at Augusta. While he still won’t share exactly what he learned, he’s vowed he won’t let it happen again.

“I think if I get the chance this year, I won’t be thinking that way,” Koepka said during his pre-tournament press conference Tuesday.

Koepka has nine wins on the PGA Tour and three since he joined LIV Golf, but he doesn’t shy away from the fact that the major championships are what’s most important to him. He’s well aware of his stature and current place in the pro golf history books. Major championships make for a lasting legacy.

“Even today, that’s what I first see, that’s what I think you’re judged by, your legacy, what you’re defined by. I’ve always said it, I think you can tell exactly how (many majors) Jack, Tiger, Arnold, Tom, you can tell, all these guys, how many majors they won,” explained Koepka. “It’s tough to tell how many events they won, but I know that there’s one sure-fire way to figure out who is who is by major championships.”

How aware is he? Like the NFL players who can name which quarterbacks drafted ahead of them, Koepka knows he’s tied with James Braid, John Henry Taylor, Byron Nelson, Peter Thomson and Seve Ballesteros on the all-time major winners list and that there are still 14 other names in front of him.

When it comes to players with 25-49 rounds under their belt at Augusta, Koepka is third in scoring average at 71.56 behind Rahm (70.50) and Jordan Spieth (70.66). He doesn’t know what it is about Augusta that brings out his best game, but he sure does wish he could do it more often.

“I just think there’s just something special about this place. You kind of drive down Magnolia Lane and it gets the juices flowing,” said Koepka. “And I think everybody that drives down it gets pretty excited. And, you know, first major of the year. And that’s what you play the game for, is to win here, win a major, and that’s the goal.”

In classic Koepka fashion, he also sarcastically challenged a reporter for asking if 59 was attainable at Augusta National:

Q: It sounds like the course is already pretty dialed this week, but under softer or optimal scoring conditions do you think 59 is obtainable on this golf course?

BROOKS KOEPKA: Have you played here?

Q: Not yet.

BROOKS KOEPKA: I can tell by the question.

Q: What number is attainable in your mind? 63’s the low.

BROOKS KOEPKA: I mean, now, anything’s attainable. But, yeah, if you want to go play the members tees and maybe play like 15 holes, yeah, I could do that.

If you didn’t think Koepka was already back to his old self after the PGA Championship, that exchange surely signals he is.

Now healthy following a couple of years of injury struggles, Koepka knows he’s ready for the challenge that awaits this week. Following his Monday practice round, he noted the course “was as firm as I’ve seen it in maybe four, five years” and that green speeds were already near a weekend pace.

For a player who constantly rises to the occasion, that’s music to a confident Koepka’s ears and bad news for the other 88 players in the field.

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Jon Rahm on ‘nerve-wracking’ 2024 Masters Champions Dinner, his failed attempt to expedite golf’s unification

“But I would hope it would be something that would help expedite that process,” Rahm said of his LIV move.

AUGUSTA, Ga. —At the start of last year, Jon Rahm wanted to be a fly on the wall for what he predicted would be a “tense” Champions Dinner as a handful of LIV Golf players reunited with their former PGA Tour colleagues at the 88th Masters.

Fast forward to this week and the 29-year-old is hosting the annual Tuesday night gathering at Augusta National Golf Club as the defending champion, and he’s brought a little Spanish flair down Magnolia Lane.

“Everybody I talked to seems very excited about the menu, which, if anything, has put a lot more pressure on me, even though I’m not cooking, right. So, yeah, I’m definitely a little nervous,” said Rahm Tuesday during his pre-tournament press conference. “It is quite daunting to think about the room you’re going to be in and having to stand up and talk to that group of players, right. I mean, it’s basically all the living legends in this game, active and non-active. Everybody who’s been somebody in this game is there. So as wonderful as it is to be a part of, it’s still, yeah, a little nerve-wracking for sure.”

MORE: Champions Dinner menus over the years

The big man from the Basque region didn’t just dish on his menu, he also talked about his best memories with the green jacket – not many get to throw out the first pitch at a World Series – as well as the divided professional game and what needs to happen to get more LIV players in major fields. LIV had 18 players in last year’s field, and that number has dropped to just 13 this year.

“I understood my position, yes. And I understood that it could be, what I hoped, a step towards some kind of agreement, yes. Or more of an agreement or expedited agreement,” Rahm said of the ongoing talks between Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and the PGA Tour. “But, unfortunately, it’s not up to me. But I would hope it would be something that would help expedite that process. But at the end of the day, I still did what I thought was best for myself.”

“I still love the PGA Tour, and I still hope everything the best, and I still hope that at some point I can compete there again,” he added later.

As far as a way to get more LIV players involved in the majors, Rahm echoed what many of his cohorts have said over the last year: there’s smarter people who can figure out how to unify the game. Players like Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau, who were among the first to break away and leave for LIV, have called for new qualification categories for LIV players since the Saudi-backed league isn’t recognized by the Official World Golf Ranking. Rahm agrees.

“But the obvious answer is that there’s got to be a way for certain players in whatever tour to be able to earn their way in. That’s the only thing can I say,” he explained. “I don’t know what that looks like. But there’s got to be a fair way for everybody to compete.”

2024 Masters
Jason Day gets a hug from Jon Rahm at the practice facility during a practice round for the 2024 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. (Photo: Katie Goodale-USA TODAY Network)

“They’ll need to figure out a way to evaluate how the LIV players are doing and how they can earn their way. And I understand there’s less players and you can’t give, right, 10 people or 15 people a start, but there’s got to be a way for some players to earn their way in,” Rahm continued. “That’s the best way I can say it. I just don’t really know what that looks like.”

Add Rahm to the long list of LIV players who are quick to point out a problem without offering up any solution.

As far as his title defense is concerned, Rahm is riding a weaker wave of momentum into the first men’s major of the year compared to last season. Instead of three PGA Tour wins in eight tournaments, he’s played five LIV events with finishes of T-3, 8, 5, T-8 and T-4. His team, Legion XIII, have won two events, including last week at LIV Golf Miami at Trump National Doral. Many view fewer competitive rounds as a negative, but the two-time major champion actually sees this year’s change in preparation as a positive.

“Well, you’re saying like playing a little bit less is a bad thing. Which I wouldn’t think it is. If anything, for the, if I had would go based on how I feel today on a Tuesday, I feel physically better than I did last year,” Rahm said. “But then once competition starts, it doesn’t really matter. Once the gun goes off, whatever you feel is out the window. You got to go out there and post a score.

“So it’s not something that I have in mind, but I do feel, I do feel fresh and ready for it.”

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On the 14th anniversary of his last PGA Tour win, LIV Golf’s Anthony Kim believes he can get his game back

“I believe I can absolutely do it at that level again. I’m prepared more than ever for success,” Kim explained.

Today marks the 14th anniversary of Anthony Kim’s last win on the PGA Tour at the 2010 Shell Houston Open.

Over that time the former rising star has “had some experiences that I wouldn’t wish on anybody,” such as battles with addiction and a whopping seven surgeries (including the same spinal fusion operation Tiger Woods underwent in 2017). He’s keeping a lot of the details of his demise close to the vest as he prepares to release a documentary, but did shed light on conversations with doctors who told him his time was running out.

“That’s a pretty rude awakening,” Kim said on Thursday ahead of LIV Golf Miami at Trump National Doral. “I still think about it to this day when I’m out there and I get frustrated with my golf, you know, how far I’ve come.”

During a recent interview with David Feherty, Kim admitted he never really loved golf. Throughout his down years the three-time PGA Tour winner and former Ryder Cupper hardly paid attention to what was happening on Tour. But just how removed was he from the game? Dustin Johnson told him on Wednesday that Brooks Koepka won back-to-back majors in 2018. Kim had no clue.

Since the birth of his daughter Isabella two years ago, Kim has gotten his life on track and is back in professional golf as a wildcard player for LIV Golf this season. The game has changed quite a bit in his time away, and as much as he wants to win and compete, Kim knows the real importance is to stay in the right mental headspace as he continues his return. He’s not sweating the poor results – in two starts with LIV he’s finished last and 50th in the 54-player field events – and thinks he can still play to the level he once did while on the PGA Tour.

“I believe I can absolutely do it at that level again. I’m prepared more than ever for success,” he explained. “I don’t think in my first career I was because I didn’t know what to expect. It was my mistakes that are the reason that I fell down into this deep hole. Having better people around this time around definitely helps.”

“My goals for this season and moving forward are to work as hard as I can, be focused, which I don’t think that I ever have been,” Kim added. “I appreciate the opportunity going on around me and the platform that I have and to be able to make a difference in the world. As crazy as that sounds, I feel like I will have the opportunity to do it, and the better I play, the louder my voice gets. And so hopefully if I play some good golf I’ll be able to do bigger things.”

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‘Too many people are losing interest’: LIV Golf players agree the current state of professional golf is ‘unsustainable’

Bryson DeChambeau said a reunion needs to “happen quicker rather than later just for the good of the sport.”

PGA Tour and LIV Golf players finally have something to agree on – the divide and current state of professional golf is unsustainable.

Rory McIlroy has been outspoken on the topic over the last few months, and a week before the two sides reunite for the first major of the year at the 2024 Masters – 13 LIV players will tee it up at Augusta National – a handful of LIV’s captains explained why the game needs to come back together sooner rather than later.

“The fans are what drive this sport. If we don’t have fans, we don’t have golf. We are not up here entertaining. That’s the most important thing as of right now, the low-hanging fruit. There’s got to be a way to come together,” said Bryson DeChambeau ahead of this week’s LIV Golf Miami event at Trump National Doral. “It’s not sustainable for sure, and we all respect that and recognize that and want the best for the game of golf. We all love this game and we want to keep playing it and we want to keep competing.”

“And it needs to happen fast. It’s not a two-year thing,” he added. “Like it needs to happen quicker rather than later just for the good of the sport. Too many people are losing interest.”

Jon Rahm, the biggest name to make the jump to LIV from the PGA Tour ahead of the 2024 season, believes there’s enough room in the professional golf sandbox for both circuits.

“I think there’s room for both. It’s as simple as that. I think we have the opportunity to end up with an even better product for the spectators and the fans of the game, a little bit more variety doesn’t really hurt anybody,” said Rahm, who will look to defend his Masters title next week. “I think properly done, we can end up with a much better product that can take golf to the next level worldwide, and I’m hoping that’s what ends up happening.”

“I agree with that. I think in the end, we are in a transitional state where we now have competition and that’s leading to a lot of disruption and change but it’s also in the end product going to make golf more global where the best players travel more,” added Phil Mickelson, a three-time Masters champion. “I don’t know how it’s going to end out, exactly, or what it’s going to look like. I’m putting my trust in Yasir and where the game is headed more globally. But at some point when it gets ironed out, I think it’s going to be in a much better place where we bring the best players from the world, and it’s going to open up more opportunities for manufacturing, course design, for players in different parts of the world to be inspired and enter the game. I think it’s going to be in a much better place.”

Mickelson said the game is in a “disruption phase” that started back in 2022 when he and the first crop of players took their talents to the Saudi-backed league. Since then, the PGA Tour has made drastic changes to its schedule and has created a for-profit entity, PGA Tour Enterprises, with initial funding of $1.5 billion from the Strategic Sports Group, an outside investment group comprised of various owners of teams in other professional sports leagues.

PGA Tour Enterprises was initially supposed to be backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund – LIV’s longtime financier – as part of the framework agreement that was announced and shocked the golf world on June 6, 2023. The new entity is still considering as much as a $3 billion investment from the PIF in the wake of a meeting between PIF governor, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, and the Tour’s leadership in the Bahamas last month.

The U.S. Department of Justice and Senate both have a keen interest in the proposed deal, which doesn’t appear to be anywhere near completion, much to the chagrin of players on both sides of the professional golf aisle.

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