LIV Golf Has Arrived, What’s Next For The PGA Tour?

The PGA Tour has entered the chat! As the golfers started in London, PGA issued suspensions to 17 golfers participating in the LIV Golf event.

Those golfers include Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia, and other future LIV Golf participants.

The announcement came just as golfers teed it up at the Centurion Club for the first-ever LIV golf event. Before we get into the drama surrounding the PGA and LIV golf, I have to give my thoughts on how the first LIV Golf Event looks.

As much as I want to hate the LIV broadcast, I’m a fan of it. The broadcast has an F1 feel, with the live leaderboard off to the left side of the screen.

Also, the announcers are a breath of fresh air. Instead of having regular, generic golf commentators, we have guys like Arlo White giving us a different perspective on the game of golf and also making us feel like we are watching an episode of Ted Lasso.

However, that’s about the extent because golf is boring. I tuned in for about ten minutes and found the golf to be anything but exciting.

Oh, and they’ve already kicked a few journalists off the premises. Most notably, Alan Shipnuck, who was escorted away by security during Phil’s post-round presser.

The PGA Tour response to defectors joining LIV Golf

As the players started, Jay Monahan released a statement regarding the tour players joining. To sum it up, golfers who join LIV will not be allowed to play in any PGA-sanctioned events, including the FedEx Cup Playoffs and the Presidents Cup.

The main question is whether or not they will ban the LIV golfers from competing in majors. For that to happen, the PGA and Monahan have to work behind the scenes with Augusta National, The R&A, USGA, and PGA of America, to get them on their side.

If that is the case, there would be a huge shift in the golfing community. Golfers would have to decide whether or not taking a significant amount of money would be worth taking over not playing in majors.

For the older guys like Phil, Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, and Sergio, their time is most likely up, so joining the tour would actually benefit them.

DJ has exemptions for all of the majors for up to four years after winning the Masters a couple of years back. However, for a guy like Talor Gooch, is all that money worth missing out on a possible Green Jacket?

I think that if the PGA Tour wants to keep things from escalating any further, they have to continue to stand their ground and work with what they’ve got. They still have great golfers despite losing big names like DJ, Bryson, and Patrick Reed.

Overall, the PGA Tour is flawed and I think everybody knows that. The Tour continues to underpay players and the long schedule makes it difficult for players to take days off.

I don’t think sending out constant threats to LIV will make much of a difference. The only way the tour can survive now is if they continue to work with what they have and that they continue to move in the right direction.