Will Zalatoris has claimed he expects that players will one day be able to play on both the PGA Tour and the LIV Golf Series, amid the ongoing battle between the two circuits. The Saudi-backed circuit has rocked the sport in recent months, luring in some of golf's biggest names from the PGA Tour.
Following the threat of being dethroned as golf's leading circuit, the PGA Tour issued suspensions to those who chose to make the Saudi switch in a bid to stamp their authority at the top of the game. This has led to the Tour and LIV Golf, and its stars, being locked in a complex lawsuit, as the playing quota aim to compete on all fronts.
Despite the long list of suspensions and the legal battle, one of the American-based circuit's hottest prospects, Zalatoris, believes one day the two rival tours will be able to exist harmoniously.
Discussing what the future might hold for the PGA Tour and the Saudi-funded series, he said in an interview with Graham Bensinger : "I don’t know the answer. My guess is that we'll probably be able to do both. I'm still through and through PGA Tour though."
Zalatoris has in the past had his name linked to a LIV Golf move but the 26-year-old has rubbished them claims, admitting his incentive to compete professionally is never driven by financial gain. He commented: "I've never done this for money, ever.
"If the US Open had a $100,000 purse, I'd still show up to the US Open.... I'm in this to go win a major – that’s my career goal. There's no amount of money that I would give to trade that for a trophy. There's no amount of money, to me, that can make me give up on my dreams."
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It is clear that Zalatoris is in the PGA Tour's camp when it comes to the sport's civil war, which for the most part has seemingly been led by Northern Irishman McIlroy. Throughout the ongoing battle, McIlroy has strongly spoken against the LIV Golf movement and worked alongside golfing great Tiger Woods in keeping fellow players on the side of the American-based circuit.
Zalatoris spoke highly of the four-time major champion's leadership of the playing quota in recent months, jokingly tipping him as a US presidential candidate for the future - if of course he was American. "If Rory was born in the United States, I'd vote him for President," said the 26-year-old.
"He's one of the most intelligent, well-spoken, introspective people I've ever met. We're lucky to have a guy like that around. He just thinks of the general interest.
"I guarantee you, 75% of the guys on tour probably look at what Rory says and then they just try to put it in their own words, just because it's just so well thought out and well said. So, he's always got my vote."
