Paul McGinley has taken aim at the LIV Golf Series, claiming that the mega-money model behind it makes ‘no sense’. The Saudi-backed circuit has lured in some of the sport’s biggest names, offering huge sums of money in signing on fees and prize money.
The likes of Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau have all made the controversial move - each receiving three of the biggest agreements on offer from Greg Norman and his team. The saga has unsurprisingly split opinion in the world of golf, with some of the sport’s biggest names speaking out.
In particular former Ryder Cup winning captain McGinley has had his say, claiming that the divide created is ‘really sad for pro golf’ - slamming the financial model supporting the circuit.
In his Sky Sports column he wrote: “There really is a big divide starting to appear now and it's really sad pro golf has come to this, all because of money and a business model that makes no sense financially.” The latest big name to make the switch is five-time Ryder Cup player Paul Casey.
Casey’s move to LIV Golf was confirmed over the weekend, whilst the breakaway circuit was out in Portland for its second event. The Englishman has endured a difficult 2022, after having his campaign plagued by injury problems having not appeared on the PGA Tour since March.
With Casey no doubt closer to the end of his career than the start, and most recently being hampered by fitness problems, McGinley does have some sympathy as to why the world No. 27 may have made the controversial decision. He said: “Paul Casey has obviously been injured since the early part of the year, missed all the major championships so far this year, so it's almost like an insurance policy being played out early.
“He has obviously got a whole lot of money to go over to LIV and you can understand his decision, especially for someone who has got injuries and is moving on in years.” Comparing the English stars injury-based decision to that of his new LIV Golf team captain DeChambeau, McGinley added: “Bryson did that too, he said it was a ‘business decision’.
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“He was probably referring to the fact he was coming back from and worried about a career-threatening injury. The money is so huge and players are taking that, particularly the ones towards the second half of their careers.” McGinley also addressed whether the Saudi rebels will be allowed to return to the PGA and DP World Tours in the future, revealing that those who chose to stay loyal to the leading circuits are hoping not.
“I think the question going forward is going to be whether the players that go play LIV - and take the money - can then come back and play on the established tours again. Are they allowed to take money off the table from the guys who have been loyal and stayed with the tour? That's the big question.
“From the players I spoke with on the range at the US Open and the Irish Open, their view is absolutely no way. As one player said to me, 'we can't allow these guys to 'double dip' by promoting a rival business and then come back to take money also off our table'.”
