US Open champion Matthew Fitzpatrick has defended Brooks Koepka’s decision to join the controversial LIV Golf Invitational Series - but he re-iterated his position to remain playing on the PGA Tour.
Four-time Major winner Koepka is set to become the latest star to join the lucrative LIV Golf Invitational Series . The 32-year-old is expected to play in the second 54-hole 48-man tournament in Portland next week, which has a prize fund of £20 million.
On Sunday, Fitzpatrick won his maiden major title as he outclassed American duo Scottie Scheffler and Will Zalatoris. The Englishman won the 122nd US Open with a score of six-under to become just the fourth English player in history to win the illustrious tournament.
While he defended his colleagues’ decision to join the Saudi-backed LIV Golf series, Fitzpatrick insisted he will remain playing on the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour due to their history, tradition and meaning. Speaking to Piers Morgan on his show Piers Morgan Uncensored, the 27-year-old said: “It’s their choice, it’s their careers and they’ve got to do what is right for them.
“For me personally, I grew up watching The Open, The US Open, The Masters, the RBC Heritage on the PGA Tour, and the BMW PGA at Wentworth on the DP World Tour. Those are events that mean something to me. Growing up as a kid watching those, those are what I wanted to play in and try to win - and that’s why I’m committed to the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour.
“As I say, it’s everyone else’s decision; they can do what they feel is right for them and I have no issues with that but for me personally, I think the right way to go is to stick where I am and play the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour. But I think it’s an interesting time for golf and it’s certainly going to be interesting to see how it all works out.”
Koepka is the latest star to mimic Phil Mickelson in signing a lucrative, multi-million dollar deal to join the tour led by former world No. 1 Greg Norman. He follows Dustin Johnson, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia and rival Bryson DeChambeau in making the switch.
Fitzpatrick defended players who have decided to switch to the lucrative LIV Golf, while he admitted he is unsure about the possibility of a deal being struck between the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour, and the Saudi-backed series. He added: “I do believe that players should be allowed to play where they want to play.
“A lot of the time people say we are independent contractors which I guess we are, so I respect wherever people want to go and play. I’ve got no issues with that. They’ve got to do what’s best for them.
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“Will there be a deal? I couldn’t possibly answer that. There might be, there might not be. It’s obviously all up in the air. There are rumours of players leaving every day and for me, who is sitting on the outside of it, I find it pretty interesting to see whose name is going to pop up next really so I guess we’ll just have to see what happens next.”
The highly-anticipated LIV Golf series made its debut at The Centurion Club in St Albans earlier this month, with the likes of Mickelson, Johnson and Garcia headlining a mixed field in terms of big name pull and talent. Charl Schwartzel, the 2011 Masters champion, secured a one-stroke victory and a £3.86 million payout.
The Saudi-backed LIV series is the most lucrative golf tournament in history. The lucrative eight-event series, which is funded by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), has a prize pot of just over £200m for 2022, while an extra £1.6 billion has reportedly been secured to expand the event to a 14-event league by 2024.
