GOLF THE GAME IS WHAT MATTERS

Nicklaus just wants the best players competing together

JACK NICKLAUS has provided his two cents on the major divides within men’s professional golf, and offered his view on whether the PGA Tour should allow LIV Golf rebels to return.

The Hall of Fame golfer made an appearance at The Players Championship on Thursday, exchanging banter with Justin Thomas and Scottie Scheffler moments before their opening round.

Fifty years prior, Nicklaus won the inaugural event at Atlanta Country Club.

Alongside Arnold Palmer, Nicklaus kickstarted the creation of the PGA Tour in 1968 by splitting from the PGA of America.

But the 84-year-old— who won 73 Tour titles in his heyday — noted a major difference between his breakaway and the current defection by LIV Golf.

According to Nicklaus, the split that he spurred was more peaceful than the ongoing splintering between golfers on LIV Golf and the PGA Tour.

“We tried to do it in the best interests of the game,”Nicklaus said of his 1968 split.

“The PGA of America is who we separated from, but when we formed the Policy Board we had three PGA of America executives on the board so they had a big say in things.

Control

“We didn’t want to break away from them as the game, we just felt that players should control their own destiny, and they have been now for the last 56 years.”

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan announced on Tuesday that negotiations surrounding the “framework agreement” between the Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund — the backers of

LIV Golf — were accelerating.

The heated tensions between players on opposing sides, however, show no signs of cooling down any time soo

Nicklaus is adamant that the best players in the world should be competing together in more than just the four majors.

Regardless, he commended the PGA Tour in the face of lingering pressure from LIV Golf.

“I think the PGA Tour’s schedule is fantastic,”he said.

Signature

“Now being able to play the signature tournaments but also the tournament they’re building in between, they’re building new stars, giving new people the opportunity to move up in the rankings.

“I think the PGA structure is pretty darn good right now.

“We’ve got a few issues we’ve got to clean up right now ...

“But I would always like to see the best players in the world play together.

“They do at the Major championships right now to a certain degree, a few of the LIV players go there but not very many as only the ones who’ve qualified for them get in.”

Nicklaus is one of few stars applauding the Tour as negotiations with the Saudibacked league continue to drag on.

With little substantial updates to the discussions and no end in sight, players are becoming restless.

“I want the train to speed up so we can get this thing over and done with,” Rory McIlroy said on Wednesday.

“We all need to sort of move forward and try to bring the game back together.”

TAKING IT IN: Jack Nicklaus looks on from the first tee at The Players Championship on the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida this week