The announcement on Tuesday that the golf civil war was over, and that PGA Tour DP World Tour PIF had agreed to merge opened up a whole new can of worms. How will LIV players who received lucrative signing bonuses and jumped ship, while others refused the Saudi money, be brought into the fold?
A highly decorated player, who refused to leave the PGA Tour despite receiving an attractive offer, asked: “Do guys that stayed loyal get a thanks and guys who won money get their money and come back?” There are a lot questions.
In a joint press release issued by the three golf bodies this morning, it was stated that “the three organizations would work in good faith and cooperatively to establish a fair, objective process for players who wish to reapply for membership on the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour after the end of the 2023 year and to determine fair criteria and conditions of readmission consistent with each Tour’s policies.”
Keith Pelley, DP World Tour’s commissioner, said in a post on social media that “there was always a way back. Players were not banned.” There was always a route back to the DP World Tour.
Monahan, however, has always brushed aside questions about whether LIV players can return to the Tour. He met with media last month to reiterate that there was no established path for return.
Adam Hadwin, a Canadian veteran, said at a press conference on Tuesday, ahead of the PGA Tour’s RBC Canadian Open, that one of the biggest things moving forward will be how players are reintegrated into the system. We don’t know for sure if the players will return. It will be interesting to see how the Commissioner has been talking about this for the past year and a bit, saying that these guys won’t play on the PGA Tour ever again.
The LIV players could fit in by giving them the chance to regain status along with players who are not among the top 70 players and have qualified for the FedEx Cup. It would certainly be more attractive to have some LIV stars competing during the Tour’s off-season while its stars are enjoying their well-earned break. The LIV players will also be required to pay a hefty reinstatement fee. This will increase based on the world ranking of each player at the time they leave and their payout from LIV.
Source: “There will be an extremely high reinstatement fee. The exact amount is yet to be determined.” “They will not have to forfeit any money, but they will be required to pay an enormous reinstatement fee.”
What about the players who refused to leave their current league and joined the new Saudi-funded one?
A top-50 multi-tour winner asked: "Is there any way to reward guys for their loyalty? Not that we need compensation, because we earn a lot of money. That's not it. But is there some way to make them feel that they are rewarded for their loyalty?"
The new LLC, formed in the merger, should give some flexibility to reward Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm for their services. While players may not have liked being kept in the dark, they realize they've benefited financially by the turmoil of the game. They want to compete against the best possible field - not just in major tournaments.
Hadwin stated, "I have dedicated my life to golf's highest levels." "I am not going to stop playing because the organization that I play golf for has joined forces the Saudi government."
Monahan has many questions and few answers, but he will be forced to answer them at a meeting of players at 4 pm. The RBC Canadian will be held at Oakdale Golf & Country Club on Tuesday, ET.
One player said, "I would not necessarily want to be in the shoes of that player."
By: Adam Schupak
Title: How do PGA Tour pros who turned down the LIV money feel about the merger? 'Do guys who stayed loyal just get a thank you?'
Sourced From: golfweek.usatoday.com/2023/06/06/pga-tour-pros-turned-down-liv-golf-money/
Published Date: Tue, 06 Jun 2023 19:23:39 +0000
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