Viktor Hovland admits he "totally understands" why Jon Rahm left the PGA Tour to join the LIV Golf League and suggested one of the key reasons behind the Spaniard's decision could be because the PGA Tour's management "has done such a bad job" of late.
It should quickly be pointed out that Hovland, himself, has no intention of joining LIV and believes he would not have become the golfer he is today without the pressure and competition of the American-based competition.
But the Norwegian star acknowledged he could see why the likes of Rahm and others have at least pursued the opportunity of moving on when not only are there such extreme sums of money on offer but also the level of uncertainty surrounding the PGA Tour is so high.
Speaking to Discovery's golf podcast FORE! in his native Norwegian, with the quotes translated into English, Hovland said: “It would be a bit too silly to criticize the players for leaving. After all, you only hear one angle in the media, and there are quite a few different parts happening at the same time here.
"I totally understand why he left. That's a lot, a lot of money. And at least when the management of the PGA Tour has done such a bad job. Just to be clear: I'm not complaining about the position I'm in, and I'm very grateful for everything. But the management has not done a good job. They almost see the players as labour, and not as part of the members. After all, we are the PGA Tour. Without the players, there is nothing."
The PGA Tour, DP World Tour, and the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund are currently engaged in talks to build upon the June 6th framework agreement ahead of the fast-approaching deadline of December 31st, but the consensus is that date will be pushed back and the golfing landscape will continue to be unsteady for the time being.
During a tumultuous period for Jay Monahan and his team, a group of 20 players recently wrote to the PGA Tour to "demand" greater transparency over potential investor proposals, while another set of anonymous golfers asked for "a special meeting" to address a number of issues they felt aggrieved at within the tour.
Viktor Hovland har full forståelse for Jon Rahms avgjørelse om å gå til LIV. Samtidig retter han kraftig kritikk mot PGA-toppenehttps://t.co/plLz2YPeNgDecember 17, 2023
Continuing his critical assessment of the PGA Tour, Hovland said: "When you then get to see what happens behind closed doors, how the management actually makes decisions, which are not in the players' best interest, but best for themselves and what they think is best... They are not professional golfers after all. They are businessmen who say that ‘no, it should look like this and that’. There is a great deal of arrogance behind it all.”
Hovland ended the 2023 season in style by winning the Tour Championship by five shots, consequently scribing his name on the FedEx Cup and earning an $18 million bonus check. The 26-year-old later said that the eye-watering finances aren't something that gives him meaning and he would continue to live in Oklahoma for the foreseeable future.
The Norwegian later went on to help Team Europe win the Ryder Cup at Marco Simone, alongside now-LIV Golfer, Rahm.
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