WHAT PLAYERS & OFFICIALS ARE SAYING
“We don’t comment on the business of other Tours, real or hypothetical.” – PGA Tour issued statement.
“I think they’ve been trying to move forward for eight years, but I can’t comment on the business of the PGA Tour or certainly one that is not real.” – European Tour CEO, Keith Pelley.
“We’re aware of what is being proposed with this new league and that the Australian Open has been included in those plans. However, it is too early in the process to make any further comment.” – Golf Australia chief executive Stephen Pitt.
“It’s just a matter of getting all the right components together, whether players stay together. With my original concept, some players loved it and others didn’t like it. I had corporate, I had television, but you need 100 percent of the pie to be together before we can bake it. From what I’m seeing here, this one has every chance of getting off the ground.” – Greg Norman.
“I think this might actually happen. This is all basically a month old for me when I realised that, okay, well, this could be a possibility. Things are developing, even as we speak. When things are more finalised and kind of put in stone and I understand it and I exactly know where things are falling, then I’ll be probably one of the first ones to make a choice or figure out what I’m going to do.” – World No.1 Brooks Koepka.
“I think it could work, but ultimately all these things need the players’ support. If they can get all the (top 48) players, I think it will work and it will be a positive thing for golf. I don’t see it making the other Tours stronger. If the top 50 golfers are playing world Tour, then they are probably not playing the PGA Tour or the European Tour. This Tour isn’t just about the next three or five years. Thinking big picture, I feel some people, especially like Rory McIlroy, could be incredibly influential in this.” – Adam Scott.
“If the players support it, then it’s a done deal. If you have the top players in the world supporting an adventure like this it will go because that’s where television will go and the fans will follow. So it’s really up to the existing top world players.’’ – Ernie Els.
“I love the PGA Tour, I love the way golf is set up right now, so it might be that – it might be the catalyst for something a little bit different out here as well, who knows. But I certainly wouldn’t want to lose what’s been built in the last 40 or 50 years … I’m still quite a traditionalist, so to have that much of an upheaval in the game I don’t think is the right step forward. But I think it might be a catalyst for some changes on this Tour that can help it grow and move forward and reward the top players the way they should be, I guess.” – Rory McIlroy.