The best golfers in the world have been front and center on the leaderboards of the first two men's golf majors of the season. Scottie Scheffler and Justin...
Brooks Koepka 'Tired' of LIV Golf Talk: 'Throwing a Black Cloud on the US Open'
Jun 14, 2022
TULSA, OKLAHOMA - MAY 21: Brooks Koepka of the United States walks on the second hole during the third round of the 2022 PGA Championship at Southern Hills Country Club on May 21, 2022 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Four-time major champion Brooks Koepka
lamented the amount of discussion devoted to the LIV Golf-PGA Tour
drama ahead of this week's 2022 U.S. Open.
"I don't understand," Koepka
told reporters Tuesday. "I'm trying to focus on the U.S. Open, man. I
legitimately don't get it. I'm tired of the conversations. I'm tired
of all this stuff. Like I said, y'all are throwing a black cloud on
the U.S. Open. I think that sucks."
While the PGA Tour has suspended
members who took part in LIV's debut tournament last week, the USGA
announced all eligible players are free to compete in the season's
third major event regardless of their tour affiliation.
Koepka sent Golf Twitter into a brief frenzy last week. He posted the eyeball emoji on the
eve of LIV's inaugural event only the return a few hours later to
post a link about the New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley:
Trolling aside, the 2017
and 2018 U.S. Open champion clearly believes it's time to get back to
business ahead of the major.
Rory McIlroy, a fellow four-time major
champ, has been outspoken against LIV Golf, which is funded by Saudi
Arabia, a country with a history of human-rights violations, and has offered prospective golfers massive guaranteed
contracts to switch.
"I think everything that's
happening with this [LIV Golf] tour, it legitimatizes their place in
the world, and I'm sure not every Saudi Arabian is a bad person.
We're talking about this in such a generalized way," McIlroy told
reporters Tuesday. "I've spent a lot of time in the Middle East, and the
vast majority of people that I've met there are very, very nice
people, but there's bad people everywhere. The bad people that came
from that part of the world did some absolutely horrendous things."
The Northern Irishman added he
understands older golfers taking the money, but feels players in
their competitive prime are "taking the easy way out."
Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and
Sergio Garcia are among the high-profile players who joined LIV last
week. Patrick Reed and Bryson DeChambeau are notable names set to
join in future events.
While they remain eligible for the
majors, the PGA Tour's role in international events like the Ryder
Cup and Presidents Cup leaves them temporarily banned from those
competitions, though that ruling could get challenged in court.
Ultimately, despite Koepka's desire for the focus
to shift to the on-course play this week, there will likely be a
distinct PGA vs. LIV feel throughout the weekend.
After that, the players will once again
go separate ways to continue their tour schedules until the
Open Championship in mid-July.
The conversation leading into the 2022 U.S. Open will be all about the top names in the sport. Rory McIlroy just won the RBC Canadian Open, while Justin Thomas...
Jay Monahan Defends Decision to Suspend LIV Golfers: My Job Is to 'Protect' PGA Tour
Jun 12, 2022
AVONDALE, LOUISIANA - APRIL 20: PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan looks on during a pro-am prior to the Zurich Classic of New Orleans at TPC Louisiana on April 20, 2022 in Avondale, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
On the heels of suspending 17 players for competing in the LIV Golf Invitational Series, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan is standing by his decision to levy such a significant punishment.
While speaking to CBS Sports during the final round of the RBC Canadian Open on Sunday, Monahan said he did what he believed was best for the tour:
It's been an unfortunate week that was created by some unfortunate decisions, those decisions being players choosing to violate our tournament regulations. It's my job to protect, defend and celebrate our loyal PGA Tour members, our partners and our fans. And that's exactly what I did. And I don't think it was a surprise to anybody, given how clear I had been about how we were going to handle this situation.
LIV Golf completed its inaugural event this weekend at Centurion Golf Club near London. Charl Schwartzel was the winner of the 54-hole competition and received a total prize of $4.75 million, the largest sum in the history of tournament golf.
Six-time major champion Phil Mickelson, two-time major winner Dustin Johnson and longtime PGA Tour members Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood, Louis Oosthuizen and Kevin Na were among those who competed in the event, making them ineligible for tour events going forward.
The LIV Golf Series is backed by the Saudi Arabian government, which has a history of human-rights abuses. Monahan criticized the players who chose to overlook the moral implications for monetary gain.
"It probably is an issue for players that chose to go and take that money. ... And I think you'd have to be living under a rock to not know that there are significant implications," Monahan said. "And I would ask any player that has left or any player that would consider leaving, have you ever had to apologize for being a member of the PGA Tour?"
Rory McIlroy, who was victorious at the RBC Canadian Open, has been openly critical of players who take part in the breakaway golf league. He's also had a war of words with LIV Golf Commissioner Greg Norman, and he decided to take a dig at him after his win.
"This is a day I'll remember for a long, long time. Twenty-one PGA Tour wins, one more than somebody else," McIlroy said, referring to Norman's 20 career wins.
Any players who compete at future LIV Golf events will face the same punishment as the first 17 golfers. Former U.S. Open winner Bryson DeChambeau and former Masters Tournament champion Patrick Reed are set to compete in the second LIV competition, which will be held June 30-July 2 in Portland.
Rory McIlroy Shades LIV Golf's Greg Norman After Winning 2022 RBC Canadian Open
Jun 12, 2022
Rory McIlroy, of Northern Ireland, hits from the first fairway during the final round of the Memorial golf tournament Sunday, June 5, 2022, in Dublin, Ohio. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
For Rory McIlroy, winning the RBC Canadian Open on Sunday was a moment to savor.
McIlroy now has 21 career PGA Tour victories. While he didn't specifically mention the target of his pointed comment, he alluded to how he passed Greg Norman on the all-time wins list following his triumph:
21st PGA Tour win for Rory – “one more than someone else,” he said.
Greg Norman.
“That gave me a little bit of extra incentive today.”
As the CEO for LIV Golf, Norman has effectively become public enemy No. 1 for those carrying the PGA Tour banner.
LIV poses a clear threat to the PGA Tour, and it could reshape the landscape of the sport as it attempts to continue poaching the best golfers in the world from the tour. Bryson DeChambeau was the most recent star to jump ship.
When LIV officials began assembling their roster, McIlroy made it clear he wasn't going anywhere, though, and he has maintained that stance.
Rory McIlroy says he can understand why some players left to join the LIV Golf series, however he insists that he is happy playing on the PGA Tour and wouldn't consider leaving 👇 pic.twitter.com/ODNWzEvhtZ
Naturally, the 33-year-old's opinions about the LIV series have made him a target for Norman, the face of the Saudi Arabia-backed venture. Norman told the Washington Post's Kent Babb that McIlroy and others were "brainwashed" by parties working to undermine LIV Golf.
In what's unlikely to be the last salvo between the two sides, the PGA Tour suspended any LIV-affiliated golfers from tour events indefinitely, though those golfers remain eligible for the U.S. Open.
Having McIlroy win the RBC Canadian Open—and take a not-so-subtle jab at Norman—one day after Charl Schwartzel won LIV's inaugural tournament couldn't have been a better outcome for the PGA Tour.
The four-time major champion has the star power to combat the recent defections the tour experienced, and it seems pretty clear where his allegiances lie.
RBC Canadian Open 2022: Rory McIlroy Shoots Final-Round 62, Defends Tournament Title
Jun 12, 2022
ETOBICOKE, ONTARIO - JUNE 12: Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland walks across the first hole during the final round of the RBC Canadian Open at St. George's Golf and Country Club on June 12, 2022 in Etobicoke, Ontario. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
Rory McIlroy fended off Justin Thomas and Tony Finau to win the RBC Canadian Open on Sunday at St. George's Golf and Country Club in Toronto.
McIlroy prevailed in the most recent installment of the tournament in 2019 as well, with the 2020 and 2021 versions canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He posted an eight-under 62 in the final round to finish at 19 under, two strokes better than Finau.
McIlroy, Thomas and Finau were separated by two shots with three holes left to play. McIlroy could've opened up a little more breathing room on No. 14 but misjudged his birdie putt and watched the ball roll wide to the left.
I’m starting to think Rory McIlroy wants to personally inflect emotional damage on me.
The four-time major champion fared even worse on the par-three 16th hole. He hit his tee shot into a bunker and settled for a bogey. A par was enough for Thomas to grab a share of the lead, and Finau moved to one shot off first place.
The 17th hole saw a two-shot swing, though, to put McIlroy back in control. His wedge game was excellent all day, and no effort was better than his second shot on No. 17.
Thomas, on the other hand, found the rough on his drive and got onto the green in three. His par putt didn't find the mark, so he bogeyed the hole and fell to 16 under, giving McIlroy a two-shot advantage heading into the final hole.
Thomas' slim hopes of a comeback quickly faded when he badly hooked his second-shot approach on No. 18. Finau, likewise, found the green with his second shot but had a long birdie putt waiting for him.
That set the stage for quite the scene around the 18th green as the fans at St. George's eagerly awaited McIlroy's triumph. Finau's birdie added a bit more pressure but didn't alter the outcome.
Love the fans standing in the green-side bunker to get a closer look at Rory. That's terrific.
With 54 rounds in the books north of the border, McIlroy and Finau were co-leaders at 11 under. For the latter, it was a welcome change from how most of this season has unfolded. Finau's fourth-place finish in the Charles Schwab Challenge was only his second top-10 on the PGA Tour this year.
While the RBC Canadian Open represents continued progress for Finau, the wait for his first win of 2022 goes on. He was unable to match the blistering pace McIlroy set from the outset and had to consistently play catch-up.
After improving to 13 under, McIlroy reeled off six birdies in a seven-hole stretch that culminated with a 40-foot putt on No. 12.
At that point, it looked like McIlroy was relatively free and clear in first. He was three shots up and performing lights-out. Instead, the air steadily went out of the balloon to make for some late drama.
At four under with one round to play, Justin Rose had an almost insurmountable deficit to bridge in order to stand atop the leaderboard by day's end, but that didn't stop him from trying.
Rose matched his career-low score for a single round on the PGA Tour by carding a 10-under 60. He began Sunday with an eagle on No. 1 and didn't look back from there.
All eyes are now on the U.S. Open, which tees off Thursday at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts.
The tournament always generates plenty of excitement. This year's installment has the added drama of the USGA allowing the golfers who have signed with LIV Golf to compete. The PGA Tour suspended 17 golfers, most notably Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson and Sergio Garcia, indefinitely from tour events, but that doesn't include the U.S. Open.
Johnson and Mickelson might get an icy reception from the Brookline crowd.
Justin Rose Shoots 60 in Final Round of 2022 RBC Canadian Open Despite 3 Bogeys
Jun 12, 2022
ETOBICOKE, ONTARIO - JUNE 12: Justin Rose of England plays his shot from the 17th tee during the final round of the RBC Canadian Open at St. George's Golf and Country Club on June 12, 2022 in Etobicoke, Ontario. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
Justin Rose fell just short of history in the final round of the RBC Canadian Open on Sunday, shooting 10 under 60 at St. George's Golf and Country Club in Toronto.
Rose had the opportunity to become the 13th player ever to break 60 in a round on the PGA Tour, but he recorded his third bogey of the day on the 18th hole.
Rose looked nearly immaculate Sunday, especially when he opened the back nine with three birdies and two eagles on the first six holes. But a bogey on No. 16 hurt his momentum, and despite recording a birdie on the 17th hole, he regressed again on No. 18.
The last time a player recorded a sub-60 round on the tour was the 2020 FedEx St. Jude Championship when Scottie Scheffler shot 59 in the second round.
Though he didn't make tour history, Rose still managed to set a course record. He finished with an overall score of 14 under after notching three eagles and seven birdies in the final round.
Rose entered Sunday facing a massive gap between him and leader Rory McIlroy, but his surge up the leaderboard put him into contention for an unlikely victory. It would take quite a bit of luck and some missteps from the players still on the green, but Rose is still mathematically alive as the round approaches its end.
A 10-time winner on the tour, Rose hasn't been victorious since the 2019 Farmers Insurance Open. The 41-year-old has only won one major in his career, the 2013 U.S. Open. In his career, he's spent a total of 13 weeks ranked as the No. 1 golfer in the world.
Tiger Woods Joins Michael Jordan, LeBron James as Only Athletes to Be Billionaires
Jun 10, 2022
TULSA, OKLAHOMA - MAY 21: Tiger Woods of the United States plays his shot from the tenth tee during the third round of the 2022 PGA Championship at Southern Hills Country Club on May 21, 2022 in Tulsa, Oklahoma. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Michael Jordan and LeBron James have company in the billionaire athletes club.
Per Matt Craig of Forbes, Tiger Woods' net worth is estimated to be $1 billion, thanks in large part to his sponsorship deals with Gatorade, Monster Energy, TaylorMade, Rolex and Nike.
Craig noted that less than 10 percent of Woods' career earnings and net worth came from prize money on the golf course.
Forbes' estimation of Woods' net worth comes at a controversial moment for the sport of golf.
The PGA Tour announced Thursday it has suspended 17 members who are playing in the inaugural LIV Golf Invitational Series event in London this weekend.
LIV Golf is being funded by the Saudi Arabian government. The league is considered the latest attempt by the Saudi government to sportswash—the practice of using positive coverage from its involvement in sports to improve its overall reputation amid accusations of numerous human rights violations.
Two-time major winner Greg Norman, CEO of LIV Golf Investments, told Kent Babb of the Washington Post that Woods turned down a "mind-blowingly enormous" deal in the "high nine digits" to play for the organization.
Forbes inducted James into the billionaire club last week. Jordan hit the mark six years ago, and his net worth has increased to an estimated $1.7 billion in 2022.
James and Woods are the only active athletes to have an estimated net worth of at least $1 billion.
Joe Favorito, a veteran sports business consultant and Columbia lecturer, told Craig that Woods "hit the right time in the right sport, being an athlete with a diverse background who was approachable."
Per Emmanuel Ocbazghi and Tony Manfred of Business Insider, Woods signed a $200 million contract with Nike in 2013. He has been a partner with the iconic sports brand since 1996.
According to Sam Dunn of Boardroom.TV, Woods' business portfolio includes middle-market company investments via his TGR Ventures firm. He also owns and operates a golf course design firm and an upscale sports restaurant in Jupiter, Florida.
Woods' 82 career wins are tied with Sam Snead for the most in PGA Tour history. The 46-year-old also has 15 victories in major tournaments, second only to Jack Nicklaus (18).
PGA Tour Suspends Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson and All Current, Future LIV Golfers
Jun 9, 2022
LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 07: Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson of The United States pose for a photograph during the LIV Golf Invitational - London Draft on June 07, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Aitor Alcalde/LIV Golf/Getty Images)
As expected, PGA Tour Commissioner Jay
Monahan has formally suspended golfers taking part in LIV Golf's debut tournament Thursday in London.
A memo sent by Monahan states the players are no longer eligible
for PGA Tour events and will be stripped of their "membership
benefits, considerations, opportunities and platform":
The rival tour started its first-ever
round at 9 a.m. ET on Thursday, and Monahan sent the memo less than 30
minutes later.
Last year, Monahan informed PGA Tour
membership that any golfer who teed off on a different tour would be
suspended and could face a permanent ban.
Greg Norman, a former PGA Tour star who serves as the CEO of LIV Golf, said last month the tour's stance is "anti-golfer, anti-fan and
anti-competitive."
A court battle is likely on the
horizon to determine whether the PGA Tour can permanently ban
golfers, who are independent contractors, from competition.
Two more high-profile players, Bryson
DeChambeau and Patrick Reed, have reached agreements to join LIV for
future events, per James Corrigan of the Telegraph. They will likely
be suspended as soon as they play their first event for the new
organization.
LIV Golf, which is financially backed
by Saudi Arabia, is engaged in contract talks with other PGA
Tour players, including Rickie Fowler and Jason Kokrak, according to
ESPN's Mark Schlabach.
Golf's four major tournaments are
separate entities, and Mickelson told Bob Harig of Sports
Illustrated on Monday he's been informed LIV golfers will be
welcome to play those events, starting at next week's U.S. Open
in Massachusetts.
"I've had many conversations with the
organizations that run the majors. And I do want to keep those
conversations private," Mickelson said. "But I am looking forward
to playing the U.S. Open and I'll be there. I'm under the
understanding that I'm able to play."
The USGA subsequently released a
statement confirming LIV players are eligible to compete:
Monahan wrote in the memo the exodus is because of golfers' "own financial-based reasons."
Mickelson
signed a contract worth around $200 million, per Brentley Romine of
Golf Channel. By comparison, Lefty has recorded $94
million in on-course earnings across 30 years on the PGA Tour,
according to Forbes.
While LIV holds its inaugural
event in London, the PGA Tour is hosting the RBC Canadian Open in Toronto this
weekend.
