John Chidley-Hill/ Canadian Press
The rivalry between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf has Canada’s Mackenzie Hughes deeply nervous in regards to the state of males’s skilled golf.
Hughes tweeted about his issues in early December, hours after world No. 1 Jon Rahm introduced that he was leaving the PGA Tour for LIV Golf. Though Rahm’s departure moved Hughes as much as No. 50 on the PGA Tour’s rankings and into the circuit’s US$20 million signature occasions, he nonetheless felt that males’s golf was in “a tragic place.”
The 33-year-old from Dundas, Ont., expanded on these ideas this week forward of The Sentry, the primary event of the 2024 PGA Tour season, an occasion he solely certified for due to Rahm’s defection. He stated that it looks like 2019 was the height of males’s golf and the PGA-LIV rivalry has put the concentrate on cash and probably alienated followers.
“Our financial mannequin was sustainable. The LIV risk got here alongside and hastily we began to double the purses, and we’re asking sponsors to double their funding, and we’re giving them the identical product,” stated Hughes at a information convention from the Plantation Course at Kapalua in Maui, Hawaii. “Followers additionally, I feel, are left questioning, ‘Do guys even love enjoying golf anymore? Or are all of them simply involved about cash?’
“All these guys going to LIV have made it fairly clear that it’s all about cash. I imply, rising the sport, but in addition cash. So, to me, that’s disappointing.”
The PGA Tour launched large cash “signature occasions” final yr to entice golfers to stick with the circuit. Hughes stated that mannequin will not be sustainable as a result of it means event sponsors should double their monetary enterprise with out the product altering in any important means.
“It might be foolish for me to not play in these occasions, they’re nice alternatives, however, I simply don’t suppose it’s proper,” stated Hughes, who’s a member of the PGA Tour’s participant advisory council together with Corey Conners of Listowel, Ont. “Once more, we now have the identical product that we had in 2019, but we wish this elevated funding, not simply elevated, however elevated in an enormous means.”
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan introduced on June 6, two days earlier than the RBC Canadian Open teed off, that the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Funding Fund — which owns LIV Golf — had agreed to a merger. The small print of that settlement have been alleged to be finalized by Sunday, however that deadline got here and went with no replace besides that negotiations had been prolonged.
“(Followers) don’t know the place sure guys are enjoying and there’s spats between the LIV and the PGA Tour, and it’s not unified in any means, form, or type,” stated Hughes. “There’s negotiations occurring which might be unclear, they’ve been dragged on for a very long time.”
Hughes stated on Tuesday that he felt compelled to talk up as a result of he thinks the entire course of might alienate viewers.
“The fan simply desires to look at golf,” stated Hughes. “I feel you watch sports activities for an escape from different nonsense, however I feel golf has introduced quite a lot of nonsense onto its plate, and now you don’t get simply golf, you get quite a lot of different stuff occurring. It’s a little bit of a circus.”
Hughes and Conners are joined on the Sentry this week by Adam Svensson of Surrey, B.C., in addition to Adam Hadwin and reigning Canadian Open champion Nick Taylor, each of whom are from Abbotsford, B.C.
Taylor, who will probably be making his third look at The Sentry, stated he took most of December off to spend Christmas again residence in Canada.
“I’m going to be as ready as I probably may be, however I’ve most likely performed my finest at instances with low expectations,” stated Taylor. “I’m making an attempt to win this week, however realizing it’s the primary occasion of the yr there’s going to be somewhat little bit of rust, I’m certain, for lots of people.
“I’ve been right here because the twenty ninth, I performed 9 day by day, in order that’s going to assist me form of ease into the event. It’s all the time a deal with to be right here, I don’t care what number of instances you come.”
