World number one Scottie Scheffler has resisted the urge to switch to LIV Golf (Image: Getty)
The Saudi-backed LIV Golf series has been a game-changer since its inception two years ago, igniting a fierce rivalry with the established PGA Tour. Yet, despite the allure of LIV’s lucrative offers, world number one Scottie Scheffler has stayed true to the PGA Tour, resisting the exodus that has seen some of his fiercest competitors jump ship.
As the Open Championship at Troon approaches, where Scheffler is tipped as a top contender, we delve into his views on the contentious breakaway tour and his candid thoughts on those who’ve defected…
LIV Golf caveatScheffler hasn’t shied away from expressing his opinion on colleagues who have made the switch to LIV. He maintains he harbours no ill will towards them for seizing a profitable opportunity but firmly believes they shouldn’t be allowed to return to the PGA Tour without consequences amidst ongoing discussions over a possible merger.
In a February interview, Scheffler reflected on the varying degrees of departures to LIV Golf, telling the Golf Channel: “You had some guys that left our tour and then sued our tour. That wasn’t really in great taste.
“Then you had some other guys that just left and they wanted to do something different. Everybody made their own decision and I have no bad blood towards the guys that left. But a path towards coming back, I think it wouldn’t be a very popular decision if they just came back like nothing ever happened.
“I think there should be a pathway back for them, but they definitely shouldn’t be able to come back without any sort of contribution to the tour, if that makes sense.” He added: “I built my entire career here on the PGA Tour and I wasn’t willing to leave it.
“I dreamt of playing on this tour. Some of the guys that left, maybe that wasn’t for them. But I think that if they want a pathway back, that there should be one, but it definitely shouldn’t just be coming back in the first week they want to come back and play. There should be some sort of caveat to them getting back on our tour.”
PGA Tour stalwarts Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas and Rickie Fowler have expressed similar sentiments.
It has been claimed that Rory McIlroy didn’t have enough backing from the likes of Scottie Scheffler (Image: Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
Rory McIlroy criticismWhile Scheffler’s position on LIV has remained steadfast, Rory McIlroy has made a surprising U-turn. Once one of the rebel tour’s harshest critics, the Northern Irishman’s stance has softened since peace was declared between the sport’s feuding factions in June last year.
McIlroy was seen as somewhat of a solitary figure in opposition to LIV, while others like Scheffler largely kept their opinions to themselves. Earlier this year, Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee criticised Scheffler, among others, for not offering more support to McIlroy during the early stages of the sport’s conflict.
“I felt like Rory was out there and was a force against the source of the money for LIV, and he was a formidable source for the PGA Tour, and he didn’t get the support from any of the players,” said Chamblee.
“I didn’t hear Jordan Spieth being vocal in support of him. I didn’t hear Justin Thomas. I didn’t hear Scottie Scheffler. I didn’t hear Xander Schauffele. I didn’t hear any of them as forcefully as Rory was speaking out on the issue.”
“It was like he was taking most of the heat, if not all of the heat. I think after a while, I don’t know it to be the case, I haven’t talked to Rory, but I think after a while, it was, ‘listen, I’ve done everything I can do and I’m not getting any support, so I’m going to bow out. Why is it up to me to fight this whole battle myself?'”.
Missing Jon RahmScheffler, a fierce competitor, laments not being able to regularly compete against the LIV stars. One of the most unexpected defectors was John Rahm, who accepted nearly £400million to switch sides.
“To be completely honest, Jon was one of my favourite people to play against,” Scheffler told Sky Sports earlier this year. “We had some good battles throughout the years and I was pretty surprised that he decided to take the money and leave. I’ve got a lot of good friends over there.”
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John Rahm in action on the LIV Golf tour (Image: Getty)
“Brooks [Koepka] left, DJ [Dustin Johnson] left and I definitely miss seeing a lot of those guys. They were a big part of my life out here on tour and it’s still a bit weird that they’re not around.
“We’ll see what happens in the future, but I definitely miss competing against some of those guys. It’s one of those deals, it’s just kind of a strange time in the game of golf.”
Left in the darkIt’s been over a year since LIV Golf’s Saudi investors and the PGA Tour paused hostilities to discuss potential co-existence or even a merger. Yet, Scheffler admits he’s still in the dark about what the future holds for professional golf.
Last month, he admitted: “I’m not really too much a part of it, so I haven’t really heard too much, so I don’t know if they’re going great or if they’re going poorly.
“Your guess is as good as mine at this point. Hopefully they will continue to progress, but we’ll see. But definitely no frustration or anything like that for me. It’s out of my control, so I’m not too worried about it.”
Dustin Johnson was one of the early defectors to LIV Golf (Image: Getty Images)
Message to fansScheffler has addressed the growing discontent among golf enthusiasts, who are eager to see the top players face off more often. Ahead of this year’s Players Championship, he said: “If the fans are upset, then look at the guys that left. We had a Tour, we were all together, and the people that left are no longer here. At the end of the day, that’s where the splintering comes from.
“I think we’re trying to do our best to create the best product for the fans, but we can’t control whether or not guys want to leave. If guys want to go take the money and leave, then that’s their decision.
“I’m not going to sit here and tell guys not to take hundreds of millions of dollars. If that’s what they think is best for their life, then go do it. But at the end of the day, this is where I want to be.”
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