After the initial shock of the merger between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and the Public Investment Fund (PIF) began to wear off, two main questions began to emerge.
What is the future of the LIV Golf League, and what will be the conditions for its players to return to the PGA Tour?
LIV was noticeably absent from the framework agreement, with PIF making an initial investment in the new for-profit entity with the PGA and DP World tours. LIV Golf will complete its 2023 season, then what?
Asked whether he was bothered by the merger after staying “loyal” to the PGA Tour, Justin Rose said he’s perfectly comfortable where he’s at. He believes it’s the LIV players who have more to be worried about.
“I feel like it’s been important for me to challenge myself against the best players in order to try to rekindle the form that I know I’m capable of,” Rose said after carding a 3-under 69 in the first round of the RBC Canadian Open on Thursday. “Obviously, playing major championship golf was always the thing I could never give up. So I was kind of always very content.
“The headline seems like it’s just going to be this very smooth transition and, ‘Come on back, boys, it’s all done now.’ I don’t think that’s the case. I still think I’m happy where I am. I’d probably be more concerned if I was on LIV right now than on the PGA Tour.”
Fellow Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick acknowledged that he did listen to the LIV Golf recruiting pitch, but mostly out of being “nosy as to what they’re going to do.” He said he was never going to leave the PGA Tour and did not receive a formal offer.
“Obviously, for the guys that did turn down significant amounts of money then that’s probably a tough one to swallow and I feel for them,” Fitzpatrick said after his opening round of 4-under 68 on Thursday.
Rose has never waded deep into the waters of the LIV Golf debate, and said he initially thought news of the merger might be a prank. He’s now hopeful of a “harmonious world of golf,” and recognizes there are several LIV players that golf fans miss watching on the PGA Tour.
“We know all know who they are,” he said. “They got a lot to offer the game of golf. I think just because they made a certain decision doesn’t mean they’re outcasts forever.”
But it also doesn’t mean that they should be invited back immediately. Commissioner Jay Monahan said there will be a “pathway” for LIV players to return to the PGA Tour, although those details have yet to be hammered out.
Rose expects there will not be a one-size-fits-all scenario.
“I’m sure it’s going to need some massaging to get it right,” he said. “They have sacrificed a lot as well in terms of ranking and all these types of things. So, there might not be such an easy step for a few of them if that’s the case, if it comes down to, you know, exemptions and what your categories are on the PGA Tour.
“It’s going to be very different for different guys.”
Fitzpatrick said he discussed the return of LIV players with friends in the business world and concluded that all he can do is focus on golf. He’ll be competing against several LIV players while defending his U.S. Open title next week.
“Whether everyone comes back and plays in the field, I’ve still got to beat them in front of me,” he said. “Obviously, there’s a potential sour taste in there for some guys coming back. But at the end of the day you’re trying to beat the course, and that’s what I’m going to try and concentrate on.”
–Field Level Media
