Four LIV Commits With The Most On The Line

Several players on the list of 48 who have committed to the inaugural event of the LIV Golf Tour have plenty to gain or lose from their participation.

LIV Tour officials Wednesday released the names of commitments to the inaugural event, which begins June 9 in London.

Many, notably Lee Westwood, Martin Kaymer, Ian Poulter, Sergio Garcia and Richard Bland,  are at or approaching the ends of their active careers. Many of the rest would be little known to the dedicated PGA Tour follower.

But the list also includes several PGA Tour regulars, notably two-time Major champion and former world No. 1 Dustin Johnson. Also on the list are Kevin Na, Talor Gooch, and Hudson Swafford, each a PGA Tour regular. It is those four players who are probably putting the most on the line by committing to the LIV event.

All four are acting in the face of threatened suspensions by the Tour. Johnson’s wallet has already taken a hit. Royal Bank of Canada, one of his leading backers on Tour, released a statement Wednesday cutting ties with the 2016 U.S. Open and 2020 Masters champion. It took the same action with respect to Graeme McDowell, another LIV Tour commit.

"“As a result of the decisions made by professional golfers Dustin Johnson and Graeme McDowell to play the LIV Golf Invitational Series opener, RBC is terminating its sponsorship agreement with both players,” the company said.  “We wish them well in their future endeavors.”"

Na is a 38-year-old Tour veteran with five career victories, most recently the 2021 Sony Open. He ranks 33rd in the world and has to date pulled down more than $1.15 million in 12 PGA Tour events this season. He stands 85th on the FedEx Cup list, making him a solid bet to qualify for the season-ending playoffs…if he is not suspended.

Gooch, ranked 35th in the world, is a 30-year-old pro with more than $3.6 million in earnings this season. His only PGA Tour victory came at the RSM Classic last November. But he currently stands 10th on the FedEx Cup points list, putting him in excellent shape to make a deep run through the playoffs and at its $15 million first prize, if he remains eligible.

Swafford is a 34-year-old pro out of Georgia with three career victories, most recently at the Amex this past January. With $1.7 million in earnings this season, he ranks 42nd in the FedEx Cup standings, giving him a strong position to not only make the FedEx Cup field but advance at least into the third round.

Johnson, Gooch, Na, and Swafford are probably the four players with the most at risk in deciding to compete on the LIV Tour. Keep in mind, however, that the PGA Tour’s reach only extends to the events it sponsors. That certainly includes all the regular Tour events and especially the season-ending Tour Championship Series.

How will the USGA, PGA of America, R&A, and Augusta National deal with the LIV Golf situation?

But it does not include the four Majors. That means there is no guarantee the players’ status for any of those prestige events will be affected by strains in their relationship with the PGA Tour.

That’s because the PGA Tour does not control any of those Majors. The Masters is run by the Augusta National Golf Club, the U.S. Open by the USGA, the PGA by the PGA of America – a distant and not always friendly cousin of the PGA Tour – and the British Open by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club.

Any of those sanctioning bodies could at their choosing opt to recognize or look past any sanctions levied by the PGA Tour.

First on that hot seat will be the USGA, whose signature competition, the men’s Open, will be played later this month at the Country Club in Brookline, Mass. Johnson, Na and Gooch are among LIV commitments who have already secured spots in the 2022 field.

To date USGA officials have kept their options open with respect to any LIV Tour participants.

“We pride ourselves on being the most open championship in the world,” a USGA representative told The Golf Channel’s, Rex Hoggard. “(at the same time)…we reserve the right as we always have to review any competitor’s situation on a case-by-case basis.”