Top executive rebukes LIV, but seeks civility at the PGA
PGA of America chief executive officer Seth Waugh fanned the flames of the PGA Tour-LIV Golf civil war even as he called for civility at this week’s PGA Championship.
Waugh told British newspaper The Times that players who left the PGA Tour for Saudi-backed LIV have “disappeared”, and the breakaway series has no viable survival plan.
After LIV lured top PGA Tour talent with record $25 million purses and money guarantees, the PGA banned LIV players and restructured its schedule to have “designated events” with larger purses and limited fields to reward top stars.
That has left this week’s showdown at Oak Hill and the other majors as the only place where LIV and PGA stars battle for bragging rights, with somewhat of a truce being called last month at Augusta National, where LIV had three of the top six finishers.
“The good news is the Masters went first and set the stage for, frankly, civility,” Waugh told The Times. “That’s the tone we want – nobody died, right?”
Waugh, however, ripped into LIV Golf, declaring such stars as Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson diminished after leaving the tour.
“I don’t think division is good for the game,” Waugh added. “Hopefully it’s good for those individuals that have made whatever decisions they have, but the game has moved on.
“It has amplified those who have stayed and the ones who have left have largely disappeared from the landscape – in terms of an exposure perspective.”
The comment came before Johnson won Sunday’s LIV title in Tulsa in a dramatic playoff that went unseen in many US markets
because television coverage was dropped after a storm delay pushed the finish beyond pre-set viewing windows.
“I’m really playing well,” Johnson said. “The game is in good form, so we’ll see what happens. I feel like I’m doing everything well right now.”
Waugh called the idea that fans will support LIV’s team format “flawed”, and said: “I don’t think people really care about it, and I don’t see how it’s a survivable business model.”
LIV Golf and the PGA Tour have taken their fight to court, but a trial is at least a year away.
In the meantime, the majors have kept their qualifying criteria and remain open to LIV talent, but the fact the Saudi-backed events aren’t awarded ranking points could slowly trim LIV players from the majors.