Justin Thomas has shared his disappointment with his fellow golf stars who left the PGA Tour for the controversial LIV Golf Invitational Series. The likes of Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson and Patrick Reed have signed up for the breakaway circuit which has kicked off at the Centurion Club in St Albans today.
Those involved are set to play in all eight events of the £200 million series and each event will feature a $25m (£20m) prize purse. The competition is bankrolled by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), which is furthering its western sports investments after purchasing Newcastle United last year.
Players such as Justin Thomas, who is a huge advocate for the PGA, is sad to see his colleagues make the switch, but understands that they are entitled to their decision. “I wish that he and others wouldn't have done it, but that's their decision,” the reigning US PGA Champion said. “I've said it all along, it's like guys can do as they wish. If they want to go they can go, if they want to stay they can stay. Selfishly, I think and I know that the PGA Tour is the best place to play in the world and it's just the decision is theirs and it is what it is.
“But I just, I wish that it would take away or I wish it wouldn't be taking away from the great storylines and things that are going on on a Tour that's been around for a very long time and is in one of the best places it's ever been. It's just a bummer that those guys won't be a part of it.”
The divide between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf was only heightened on Thursday after the former announced it was suspending members who had joined the rebel league. A memo from the Tour named the 17 players taking part in the inaugural event and confirmed they will no longer be eligible to take part in Tour events or the Presidents' Cup.
The LIV Golf series is aiming for a quicker version of the game - like T20 cricket - to appeal to a younger, wide audience. There will be a shotgun start which will see all 48 players tee off at the same time - to fit the action into a shorter window instead of the usual staggered starts throughout the day. There is no cut. The field is divided into 12 teams, with Ian Poulter’s team named the Majesticks - after an NFL-style draft took place on Tuesday night.
Rory McIlroy, a also staunch defender of the PGA Tour, says golf as a whole has been hurt due to the new circuit. “It's a shame that it's going to fracture the game, I think if anything we need to make this — the professional game is the window shop into golf," he said. "If the general public are confused about who is playing where and what tournament's on this week … it just becomes so confusing. I think everything needs to try to become more cohesive and I think it was on a pretty good trajectory until this happened."
The Irishman added: "Any decision that you make in your life that's purely for money usually doesn't end up going the right way. Obviously money is a deciding factor in a lot of things in this world, but if it's purely for money it's not, never seems to, you know, it never seems to go the way you want it to.
”And I've had that before a couple of times in my life and there's other things that are a part of it too. But it's a weird time in professional golf, and I said it a couple weeks ago, we're just going to have to see how this season plays out and if any other guys decide to go another direction than the established tours, I guess, and see what the, I guess see what the consequences are.”
