PGA Tour star Justin Thomas has issued another dig at LIV Golf ahead of hosting his junior championship event in his native Kentucky. Thomas’ junior championship kicks off this week at the Harmony Landing Country Club in his home state.
Ahead of the tournament, the reigning PGA champion shared a snap of what is inside the lockers of the juniors who are lucky enough to compete at the Kentucky course. The American shared a photo on Twitter which showed plenty of gifts and goodies for the players.
Along with the picture Thomas wrote: “It’s almost time for @AJGAGolf #JustinThomasJr! The kids' lockers are stocked and ready to go.”
Within the photo an eagle-eyed fan spotted one of the player items containing the word ‘LIV’ on it, the name of the Saudi-backed series that has rocked the golfing world over recent months. Of course the item - that appeared to be an energy gel - was not LIV Golf branding, but instead belonging to nutrition company LIV PUR.
Replying to the post, one of Thomas’ followers - @Kingjay0314 - wrote: “LIV sending gifts too.” Quick to respond, the American outlined that the gels had no association with the Saudi circuit, taking the chance to take a swipe at Greg Norman’s breakaway league in the process.
Thomas replied: “Nah that’s from me. I have intentions of actually growing the game.” Of course the slogan ‘growing the game’ has been used a number of times to back the LIV Golf identity, by CEO Norman, and those competing on the eight-event circuit. This is not the first time the PGA champion has taken aim at the series.
Speaking recently the American hit out at his fellow players who decided to make the switch, pleading for one of the LIV rebels to ‘have the balls’ to admit the main reason they joined Norman’s league was due to the eye-watering financial implications.
Thomas told the No Laying Up Podcast: “It’s tough and I never thought I would be laying in bed so many nights thinking about this freakin’ tour and what’s going on and all of this stuff.
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“I go back and forth on how involved I should be, how involved I shouldn’t be, what I should say, what I shouldn’t say, what I want to say and what I know I can’t say and back and forth of all these different things… I understand they’re [the LIV Golf players] being fed everything what to say and all this stuff, but it’s just… for them to say that this is all for the betterment of the game…
“I mean, to be perfectly honest I just wish one of them would have the balls to say, ‘I am doing this for the money.’
“Like, I personally would gain a lot more respect for that but it’s just the more they keep talking, the players keep talking and saying this is for the betterment of the game the more agitated and irritated I get about it.”
