LIV Golf stars Ian Poulter and Pat Perez were reportedly left furious following comments from a reporter.
Renowned golf journalist Alan Shipnuck is at the El Camaleon Golf Course in Mexico for the controversial circuit’s first event of the new season. Both the Englishman and the American are due to participate, but before they compete for top spot, they apparently took exception to one of Shipnuck’s remarks.
He uploaded a picture to Twitter of a group of LIV golfers and caddies, who were all dressed in light blue polo shirts. The accompanying caption read: “All these LIV golfers and caddies are so cute in their matching uniforms! Here are the Majesticks, featuring reality TV star Ian Poulter in the most sedate outfit of his life.”
After posting that tweet, he followed it up with complaints reportedly made to him by the American. “Pat Perez just got in my grill complaining that 'cute' sounded snarky,” he added. “(And he cautioned me to give Poulter a wide berth bc of the below tweet lol.) Two days in, I would like to state for the record that the team unis are a clean look and I am, in fact, digging it.”
Earlier this month Poulter told the new Netflix golf series 'Full Swing' it would be “devastating” if he missed out on the Ryder Cup captaincy due to his involvement with LIV Golf. Poulter had been lined up to captain Europe in 2025 before joining the Saudi-breakaway league.
Speaking before he signed for the Saudi-backed breakaway league last year, Poulter admitted: “We just don’t know how it would compromise any possibility of playing or captaining the Ryder Cup side. It is a difficult decision - and a decision with so many uncertainties.” He also provided an insight into his reasons for joining the PGA's rival circuit. “Growing up in Stevenage, we as a family never had luxury items,” said the father-of-four. “It gave me the want to succeed at a very early age.
“My whole life is about trying to work hard and provide. The fact of there being guaranteed money at play is obviously an attraction. People ask all the time: ‘Don’t you have enough already?’ But that is all relative. I treat my golf as a job and I want to obviously maximise every bit of my potential over the coming years. I am 46 years old. I am not getting any younger.
"There are so many deciding factors in this. I love the Ryder Cup. And if one day I get the opportunity to be Ryder Cup captain, I would absolutely love it. If you do play for LIV, would it be a factor in not being able to be captain down the road? It would be devastating if it were to be taken away. That would be really disappointing.”
After eight tournaments in its initial 2022 season, the LIV circuit will be contested over 14 events worth a combined $405m (£335m) this year. 48 players will compete as individuals as they attempt to win an eye-watering (£16.5m) purses at each event.
They will still remain part of 12 four-man teams and LIV CEO Greg Norman provided an explanation for the change in format. "The most popular sports in the world are team sports," he said.
"And our league format has already begun to build connections with new audiences around the globe. Major champions, current and future Hall of Famers, and up-and-coming stars are all committed to creating this new platform for world-class competition as the sport evolves for the next generation."
