ROCHESTER (N.Y.) — It may seem hard to believe that golf balls will be flying in 106 days. The 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club is underway.
The East Course will host the first round on Thursday, May 18 and it will be the earliest of 13 major events. This beats by approximately a week the Senior PGA Championships of 2008 and 2019. It would be reasonable to expect the snow to be gone. But, Rochester is Rochester, so shouldn’t we feel comfortable making such an assumption?
Bryan Karns of PGA of America is back in town as the championship director after the 2019 Senior.
Construction was off to a strong start in the fall. The lack of snow accumulation so far this winter has allowed more work around the property to prepare for the tournament. Although all corporate hospitality has been sold and nearly all daily tickets have been sold out, there are still some tickets available for Monday and Tuesday practice days as well as the first round on Thursday.
Karns knows the expertise of Oak Hill and Rochester community partners when it comes to preparing major events.
Karns stated Tuesday that he is “in a lot of aspects I’m just a biggest cheerleader for the community because it makes everything so easy.” There are many little things that need to be done… but the championship is in great shape.
The LIV Golf controversy continues to be a problem for the PGA Championship
One issue remains unresolved, however, and it is a very big one. Perhaps the most important.
The PGA of America will allow players who switched from the PGA Tour and the breakaway entity known LIV Golf to play in the tournament, which is now positioned behind the Masters and before the U.S. Opens.
Karns stated that there was still much to be done on this front, but that he is not paid enough.
Greg Norman is the CEO and public face for LIV. Last year, many of the best-known players around the world left the PGA Tour to play on the controversially financed tour, which is funded by the Public Investment Fund. It is the sovereign wealth fund Saudi Arabia.
Which golfers have switched to LIV Golf
This list also includes former major champions and/or the world No. This list includes past major champions and/or world No. 1 players like Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka. Johnson’s earnings were estimated to exceed $100 million, which is more than he made during his entire PGA Tour career.
Players were permitted to participate in the 2022 U.S. Open or British Open. The Masters also granted invitations for LIV players to its Augusta National tournament in April. The PGA of America will have to decide whether or not LIV golfers can be allowed into the PGA Championship field. This is the first time this has happened.
Karns stated that this is the first year of LIV in its full operational capacity. The majors are separate entities. The PGA Tour is unique in its approach, and all majors operate independently.
Golf is wild because it’s so fragmented. It’s not like the NFL where all teams report up and there is a single policy. Everyone plays to their own tune in golf, and everyone plays well in the sand. LIV has changed the game in many ways.
Yes, it has. Now it seems like no one is getting along in sandbox. And lawsuits are flying around as if they’re tee shots.
Seth Waugh, CEO of PGA of America, was against LIV’s creation. He said that players who switched to LIV could “jeopardize” their participation at future PGA Championships.
Waugh continued, saying that he supports the current ecosystem, the world ranking system for golf and all the other things involved in creating the best golf field. This is not good for the game, and we support that ecosystem. We have our own rules that we will adhere to in these areas.
These bylaws require that players be members of PGA of America. They gain this membership through their participation on the PGA Tour. This bylaw is in violation by the LIV players.
The PGA Championship winners are granted a lifetime exemption to the event. This means LIV members Mickelson and Koepka should theoretically be able play but it is new territory.
When will the decision about LIV golfers be made
Karns stated that there is a lot of work behind the scenes to evaluate this. “Probably in the late spring, before the championship, maybe within the last 30 days. There’ll be some kind of announcement about that.”
Although Mickelson and Johnson are well-known names, Garcia is not even close to the top 25 world rankings. Smith (No. 4) and Joaquin Niemann (No. Joaquin Niemann and Smith (No. 23). Abraham Ancer is the next highest-ranked LIV player at No. 37.
While it would be great to see those players at Oak Hill, the field is fine without them. Rory McIlroy, Justin Thomas (9), and Collin Morikawa (7) are all expected to be there.
Karns stated that “when you think about events now there’s always talk of purses and high-profile events, and everyone’s trying to sort of solve that.” These guys want to play on the best courses and win the most trophies. They want to leave a lasting legacy. The PGA Championship at Oak Hill ticks both of these boxes.”
Sal Maiorana can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @salmaiorana
By: Sal Maiorana
Title: Will LIV Golf players be allowed to play this year's PGA Championship at Oak Hill? One official weighs in
Sourced From: golfweek.usatoday.com/2023/02/03/pga-of-america-liv-golf-pga-championship-oak-hill/
Published Date: Fri, 03 Feb 2023 19:30:38 +0000
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