Should Sergio Garcia’s comments make the PGA nervous?

With the current PGA season well underway, we are now a month away from their newest competitors making their inaugural debut on June 9th in London.

The new league, led by Hall of Fame golfer Greg Norman, has already created plenty of buzz, thanks in large part due to the controversial comments made by Phil Mickelson and others. As we approach the June 9th start, it seems like this inaugural event may be gaining interest from other international players.

This week’s Wells Fargo Championship at TPC Potomac in Maryland, a tournament that was led by Australian Jason Day throughout the majority of it, has already seen plenty of low scores. It has also included plenty of controversy. In the opening round, Sergio Garcia hit his tee shot well left, and ultimately could not find it. However, while in search of his ball, he was notified that his time was up and was forced to take the penalty. Garcia argued that he hadn’t begun his search yet, but his appeal was lost. In frustration, Sergio Garcia took to the route of criticizing the PGA Tour and essentially publicly endorsed the Norman-led LIV Tour saying:

"“I can’t wait to leave this tour… just a couple of more weeks until I don’t have to deal with you anymore.” – Sergio Garcia"

When Sergio Garcia refers to a couple of weeks, he is clearly referring to the June 9th event in London. Following his round, the Spaniard refused to make his media appearance, and his agent confirmed with reporters that he had in fact filed for a release from the PGA Tour to take part in the event. It’s clear that another star on Tour is displeased with Commissioner Jay Monahan and Co. and Sergio Garcia seemingly isn’t the only one.

Sergio Garcia isn’t the only PGA Tour pro who is set to leave for the LIV Golf Invitational

Lee Westwood, another former Major champion, has also officially requested his release to take part in the LIV event. It’s a chance for Lee to compete in front of a home crowd in his home country of England. When asked for an explanation, Westwood made it clear that he is confident in his decision stating:

"“It’s an opportunity to play in a big tournament, against some of the best players in the world, in England. I love playing in England in front of home fans, so any time there’s an opportunity like that I feel like I should take it.”"

In a matter of days, two of the top international players on Tour have made the decision to see if the grass is indeed greener on the other side. If this trend continues, the PGA Tour could be in for a tough couple of months, especially if this London event is a success. With 8 of the top 20 ranked players on Tour residing outside of the United States, don’t be surprised if more begin to follow in these two veterans’ footsteps.

When asked by Mike Tirico about the LIV Tour and the PGA’s current status, Monahan reiterated his confidence in the state of the Tour’s future going forward saying:

"“I think it’s important for people to remember that the regulations for the PGA Tour we’re written by the players, for the players. We know our regulations inside and out, and we’re confident in them… I couldn’t be more excited about where we are and where we’re headed.“It’s hard to speak about situations regarding a league that currently doesn’t exist.”"

While we don’t know if the LIV Tour will survive after this season, it would appear as though Greg Norman has won this battle over Monahan and the PGA Tour. However, we know that it’s way more important to win the war than the battle. I’m sure that many fans would be happy to see these tours co-exist, but it doesn’t seem like that is very likely at the moment. So, buckle up, because it’s going to be a very interesting couple of months.