Is the PGA Tour Watching Their Future Stars Leave For LIV Golf?

Each week, there seems to be rumors and reports across the golf community about which golfer will defect next to Greg Norman and LIV Golf.

With their next event just days away, this time in Portland at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club, LIV will be joined by new additions, including Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, and Abraham Ancer.

This is a growing concern for the PGA Tour, as they watch their top golfers leave. Another massive issue is equally or even more concerning, however, young stars of the future beginning to choose LIV Golf.

We have now seen some of the sport’s brightest young stars choose to start their career with LIV Golf over the PGA Tour, a recent revelation that could spell trouble for Jay Monahan and the future of the Tour.

Let’s examine a few of these future stars who chose LIV Golf, beginning a concerning trend in the sport.

Young Stars Choose LIV Golf

Eugenio Chacarra

The most recent to side with LIV Golf, Chacarra is fresh off of a prestigious NCAA career with Oklahoma State.

The young star was the second-ranked amateur in the World and a two-time reigning First Team All-American in college.

Now signed on with LIV Golf for the next three years, it’s a sign that these young golfers aren’t even interested in giving the PGA Tour a chance.

When asked, Chacarra was very confident in his answer, proving the theory that many have had.

"“This contract gives me peace of mind and ensures the future of my family. I had already achieved everything as an amateur, and now I will be able to gain experience as a professional.”"

We’ll see how his professional career begins when he tees up in Portland with LIV Golf later this week.

Matthew Wolff

This one is the most obvious, and yet also one of the more surprising moves that we have seen thus far.

The young American turned professional in 2019 and came onto the PGA Tour in good fashion, immediately winning the 2019 3M Open by 1 stroke over Collin Morikawa and Bryson DeChambeau.

In 2020, he had top-5 finishes at both the PGA Championship and the U.S. Open, with his future looking very bright alongside Oklahoma State teammate Viktor Hovland.

Since then, Wolff has now slipped to World No. 77 and 57th in the FedEx Cup standings, a sign that his development towards stardom has come to an abrupt halt.

With just the one PGA victory, these statistics may have been a sign that change was coming. Wolff is another new addition to LIV Golf, and his switch further emphasizes the growing concern that these young players out of college feel no allegiance to the PGA Tour.

James Piot

The first amateur to make the decision, the young American was once the top-ranked amateur in the World.

The 2021 U.S. Amateur Open champion was widely regarded as the PGA Tour’s next superstar, but instead chose the opportunity for an immediate payday and the chance to grow the sport globally.

"“For me, the offer was, you know, you’re going to play golf and you’re going to have status somewhere … so for me, I thought it was fantastic,”"

An original member of Sergio Garcia’s ‘Fireball GC’, he looks to continue his promising career with LIV, something that may give Monahan nightmares going forward.

With just LIV’s second event set to begin, it’s a worrisome concern for Jay Monahan to watch these future stars take their talents elsewhere.

We will have to see if this trend continues, or if the allegiance of the World’s best begins to wear off on these young golfers.