Former world no.1 Jason Day decided to ditch the “anxiety” that comes with worrying about outcomes and pushed himself into contention at the opening event of the FedEx Cup Playoffs where winning isn’t the only goal.
World No.2 Cameron Smith kept his cool amid a growing storm about his potential defection to Greg Norman’s Saudi-backed LIV Golf and declared he was ready to “cop some heat” for pre-tournament denials after his own solid opening round a the St JudeClassic.
In a sign interpreted by some as strengthening Smith’s reported $140 million LIV defection, the Australian was point-blank after his opening round of 67 about the continued questioning.
“I’m ready to cop some heat. I understand that’s what I’ve said,” Smith told Sky Sports having declared any news on a move would come from him.
“I’m here to win the FedEx Cup playoffs, that’s my number one goal. Whatever happens after that will come from me.”
But while Smith remains in focus Day, who withdrew from last week’s PGA Tour event with illness, carded a bogey-free round of 65 to sit just off the pace in a share of fifth late in the opening round at the $21m St Jude Classic , three shots behind the leaders.
Only the top 70 finishers will progress to the next event and remain in the hunt for the biggest payday in golf, outside of signing a LIV deal.
Day, who hasn’t won since 2018 and has slipped to 147th on the world rankings, said he wasn’t getting lost in thinking too far ahead.
“You’re always just trying like to just blend everything together and hopefully it will click,” Day said.
“I’m not getting too excited about anything right now, just got to stay patient as much as I can because the more and more I start thinking about outcomes and being able to get into next week, it just does nothing for me, or at least anything positive for me.
“It actually gives you more anxiety and a lot of other stuff that comes along with it.
“I feel pretty good about the opening round and looking forward to the rest of the week.”
Adam Scott was the next best Aussie at four-under, a score that could have been better if not for a double-bogey five on the par three 14th hole when his tee shot found the water.
Smith, who could assume the world No.1 ranking with a victory in Memphis, depending on where current world No.1 Scottie Scheffler finishes, carded an up-and-down opening round 67, which included an eagle and two bogeys, to be five off the lead.
North Queensland Cowboys great Johnathan Thurston flew back home to be with his family after he was left “absolutely devastated” by the news that his former coach, Paul Green, had died aged 49.
Key points:
Johnathan Thurston was due to appear on Nine’s Thursday night football coverage, but instead flew home to be with his family
The Cowboys play the Roosters in Sydney on Saturday night
A minute’s silence is being held before every NRL game this round
On Channel Nine’s coverage of the Panthers-Storm game in Penrith on Thursday night, Thurston, the co-captain and Clive Churchill medalist of Green’s premiership-winning Cowboys side, was absent.
After hearing the news of Green’s death, Cameron Smith said he spent a few hours with Thurston in Sydney on Thursday afternoon before his friend, colleague and former Maroons teammate returned home to be with his family and his beloved North Queensland community.
“[Thurston] was absolutely devastated, as were many of the players and his teammates in that Cowboys outfit led by Paul Green,” Smith said.
“We just want to send our best wishes to all those players and particularly our mate JT. We feel for you, as the entire rugby league community do.
“For everyone that was involved with Paul Green and his family, we wish you all the very best.”
Many other Cowboys premiership players posted messages of sadness on social media, including Michael Morgan, John Asiata and Ben Hannant.
A minute’s silence was observed before Thursday’s game at Penrith Stadium and others will be held before every NRL game this round.
A minute’s silence was held before the Panthers vs. Storm game on Thursday night, just hours after news of Green’s death emerged.(Getty: Cameron Spencer)
Cowboys coach reflects on opportunities Green gave him
North Queensland plays the Roosters in Sydney on Saturday afternoon.
Cowboys coach Todd Payten said the club had to “put our arms around each other” after a difficult 24 hours.
“It’s a good reminder of how fortunate we are to do what we are able to do,” he said.
“We would like to perform well in Paul’s honour.”
Payten served as North Queensland’s under-20s coach and an assistant to Green for the 2015 premiership season.
“He gave me an opportunity to bring my family up here when I didn’t have a job,” Payten said.
“He made me a better coach in many different ways [and] he certainly challenged everyone around him to be better. He was a good person.
“He is always going to be the coach of our maiden premiership. He will be etched in our history books, he has had a significant contribution to our club, and he is going to be sorely missed.”
Australia is set to stage one of its biggest ever seasons of golf, headlined by an $8 million, 16-event tour, starting in October.
PGA of Australia on Thursday confirmed the summer schedule, which has increased from 12 events in 2019-20, and will see the return of the Australian Open.
Bolstering the announcement is the likelihood of big Australian names committing to play on home soil after the pandemic crushed opportunities over the past two summers.
Scroll down for the full schedule!
Watch LIVE coverage from The USPGA Tour with Fox Sports on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
World No.2 Cameron Smith is set to return to play in the Australian Open and Australian PGA Championship, while compatriot Marc Leishman is also expected to feature.
Top-50 player Lucas Herbert has already committed to play both showpiece Australian events, while No.66 Min Woo Lee will feature at the Australian PGA Championship.
LIV Golf, meanwhile, is reportedly eyeing three Australian events as part of its expanded 2023 core schedule, and the International Series it runs with the Asian Tour.
Should those events materialize around April, as reported by Australian Golf Digestit would see the likes of Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka and Phil Mickelson also down under this upcoming season.
Terse Cam refuses to address LIV rumors | 00:43
While the Greg Norman-led series has its detractors due to its Saudi Arabian funding, LIV’s reported venture into Australia will ultimately give golf fans more events, and more international stars, playing for big-money purses on these shores.
Combined with the bumper PGA Tour of Australasia schedule, golf’s Australian presence is set for a significant shot in the arm, while the groundwork has been put in place for more growth in the coming years.
PGA of Australia is committed to increasing the prize money on its tour, this year offering $2 million at the Australian PGA Championship, and $1.7 million each for the men’s and women’s fields at the Australian Open.
Combined with state Opens, state PGAs, The Players Series, and a New Zealand swing, the full season is worth more than $8 million.
READ MORE
How Smith exposed shock sobering truth… and left question that may never be answered
Aussie star Smith drops $140m PGA bombshell as shock Open twist revealed
Why $140m Smith coup could be the ‘tipping’ point in golf’s ugly civil war — World View
LIV Golf makes damning allegations, drags Tiger Woods into spiteful golf feud
Just as significant, however, is the creation of better pathways into Europe and, in turn, the US, through a strengthened partnership with the DP World Tour.
Thursday’s announcement revealed that the top three players in the Order of Merit will earn a DP World Tour playing card for the following season, while the following 10 players gain exemption into at least the second stage of Q-School.
The Australian Open and Australian PGA Championship will both be co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour with the winner also gaining automatic entry to the circuit, while the winner of the Order of Merit earns a spot at next year’s Open Championship.
“What I love about this is the pathways that it creates for our exciting crop of future Australian stars,” PGA of Australia chief Gavin Kirkman said.
“We’ve worked hard to build the schedule back after Covid knocked everyone around in the tournament space, and having the Australian Open and the New Zealand Open back stronger than ever really makes a difference.”
Cam Smith and others set to join LIV | 01:30
Playing fields could improve again next season when the US PGA Tour reverts back to a calendar schedule, instead of the current wraparound program that conflicts with the Australasian Tour.
Furthermore, Kirkman confirmed to reporters that LIV players are allowed to feature on the tour, unlike in Europe and the US where the PGA and DP World Tours have banned dual members.
“The players coming home to play, as long as there’s no conflicting event, they will be welcome to play,” he said. “And the Australian players that come home, and wherever they’re playing at the moment, if they’re members of our organisations, they’ll be eligible to play, and that’s been discussed with the other tours.”
In theory, this would open the door for LIV Golf’s Australian contingent to play several events at home in the coming months, split between the two tours.
That ensures that any defection to LIV Golf, as widely reported, would likely see Smith play more in Australia, not less.
Kirkman, meanwhile, said he hasn’t been approached by LIV about the staging of a tournament next year in Australia.
“We’re hearing things are going on but at the end of the day … if that event comes to Australia we’ll just continue focusing on what we do best and that’s running our tour and servicing Australian golf in the way we feel it should be serviced,” he said.
“We’ll just see what happens there.
“If it comes to Australia, we’ve got to be in a position to stay focused on our strategy. If it fits in, it fits in, but we will talk closely to Golf Australia and the WPGA Tour and work on what we need to keep working on.”
PGA TOUR OF AUSTRALASIA FULL 2022-23 SCHEDULE
October 10-16 — CKB WA PGA, Kalgoorlie Golf Club — $200,000
October 17-23 — WA Open, West Australian Golf Club — $162,500
November 7-13—VIC PGA, Moonah Links Resort—$200,000
November 14-20—Queensland PGA, Nudgee Golf Club—$200,000
November 21-28 — Fortinet Australian PGA Championship, Royal Queensland Golf Club — $2,000,000
November 29-December 4 — ISPS HANDA Australian Open, Victoria Golf Club and Kingston Heath Golf Club — $1,700,000
December 5-11 — Gippsland Super 6, Warragul Country Club — $175,000
January 23-29—TPS Victoria, Rosebud Country Club—$200,000
Jan 30-Feb 5 — TPS Murray River, Cobram-Barooga Golf Club — $200,000
TBA February—VIC Open, TBA—TBA
February 13-19 — TPS Sydney, Bonnie Doon Golf Club — $200,000
February 20-26—TPS Hunter Valley, Oaks Cypress Lakes Resort—$200,000
February 27-March 5—NZ Open, Millbrook Resort—$1,400,000
March 6-12 — NZ PGA Championship Auckland — $150,000
The most explosive clash of the NRL season is set to unfold when Penrith host Melbourne on Thursday night in the wake of a bitter war of words between the clubs.
They’re the two most successful teams, alongside the Roosters, of the past five years and will meet in a highly-anticipated top-four showdown.
The Storm and Panthers have ended each other’s campaigns in arguably the two best games of the past two seasons.
Stream every game of every round of the 2022 NRL Telstra Premiership Season Live & Ad-Break Free During Play on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
Melbourne won the premiership after Penrith finished on top of the ladder in 2020 and then those roles were reversed last year.
The rivalry between the past two premiers is the fiercest in the game right now.
Panthers players were outraged by Instagram videos after the 2020 grand finale and they got their revenge by knocking the Storm out in an epic preliminary final last year.
“They don’t like each other,” The Australian’s Brent Read said on NRL360 on Wednesday about the rivalry
“It’s been evident for a while that these teams dislike each other but it’s gone up a notch this week.”
Both teams will be missing key cavalry for the blockbuster at BlueBet Stadium but tensions will still be sky high with plenty on the line for both teams in the run to the finals.
The Panthers were superb last week against the Canberra Raiders without the State of Origin halves pairing of Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai, but things get even tougher with James Fisher-Harris now suspended.
The latest chapter in the clubs’ fierce rivalry is now set to be written after Panthers great Greg Alexander and Storm legend Cameron Smith traded barbs throughout the week.
The Panthers and Storm have built quite the rivalry. Greg Alexander (left) and Cameron Smith (right). GettySource: FOX SPORTS
That stoush over who is responsible for an influx of dangerous tackles in the game quickly escalated.
“I thought it was just a general consensus that over the last 20 years that all the tackles, the wrestling techniques had come out of Melbourne,” Alexanders said after Smith blew up at his initial accusation.
The exchange between Alexander and Smith prompted a stunning outburst from Melbourne’s chairman and owner Matt Tripp.
Tripp blasted Penrith deputy chairman Alexander’s comments as “stupid” and accused the reigning premiers of arrogance.
“Absolutely unfair,” Clearly said of Tripp’s comments.
“I’m not here to judge anyone else. But I know that Brandy (Alexander) is an outstanding commentator and a decorated figure in the game. If anyone’s able to have an opinion it’s Brandy.
“Most of his opinions are spot on. But that was his opinion of him in a completely different role. So, I don’t think it’s fair for everyone else at our club to be labeled what we were, but these things happen sometimes.”
Tamou has his say on Papali’i backflip | 01:50
MORE NRL NEWS
ROSTER TROUBLE: Knights are ‘rudderless’ after huge blunder but can be saved
LOVE TO: Reynolds keen on Dogs reunion, with ‘chats’ to start next week
‘THEY HAVE SWAGGER’: Panthers defended amid arrogance claims from Storm
‘HAVE TO BE TAPPED’: Roosters crisis as seven stars command half of salary cap
WHISPERS: Bronco out in cold as rivals deny approach, Eels gun open to code switch
Following Tripp’s blow-up, the Storm were then accused of having a “chip on their shoulder” by the NRL 360 panel who also believe the Panthers will use Tripp’s comments as motivation.
“There’s going to be plenty of spice, it’s going to be a great game,” Paul Crawley said.
“The Storm are in a bit of strife on the field and they really have to show some signs of fighting back and I just can’t see how they’re going to do that against the Panthers.”
“What I’m fascinated with is the chairman versus the deputy chairman, Tripp versus Alexander,” Paul Kent said.
PK: ‘The fact is players get injured!’ | 02:24
“Some of the things that Tripp said about Penrith, he said the club was arrogant, he turned from criticism of Greg Alexander into criticism of the club.
“And I’ll tell you one thing about Penrith, when you criticize them, they respond to it and they’re very good at coming out and saying ‘is this what you think about us, well we’ll show you what we think about you’ and they deliver.”
Brent Read believes Alexander may have tactically brought up the tackling argument ahead of the clash.
“At this time of year, this invariably raises its head, you point the finger at Melbourne and say they invented the wrestle and it’s just an easy argument,” Read said.
“I’m it doesn’t hurt Penrith (this week).”
REPORTS: Bateman linked to Wests Tigers | 01:12
ROSTER OVERHAUL: Tigers target ex-Raiders star Bateman as Sheens gets creative
NRL RUN HOME: Eels star sparks title arises as grim Broncos reality sets in
‘NOT A GOOD LOOK’: Tigers star reveals he wanted Storm loan switch
‘MEDICAL DECISION’: Turbo opens up on Manly season…
‘TAKING THE PISS’: Twist in Eels star’s $1.9m backflip as third NRL team emerges
Get all the latest NRL news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Sign up now!!
Read also defended any perceived arrogance from Penrith players during matches.
“On the field they play with swagger. They play with a bit of arrogance. You have got to have that to be successful.”
Braith Anasta agreed that arrogance can be a powerful tool for a sporting team when used correctly.
“In any sport you have got to have confidence,” Anasta said.
Some people think they cross the line a little bit but you need confidence. You need a little bit of arrogance. You need to go out there thinking, I’ve got you covered.”
Storm star Jahrome Hughes apologized earlier this season after being named as the main culprit in 2020 grand final celebration footage mocking Panthers players’ Mt Druit roots.
Panthers center Stephen Crichton revealed the footage was used as motivation, sparking their stunning 2021 preliminary final win over Melbourne.
To motivate his players prior to the 2021 preliminary final, assistant coach Cameron Ciraldo saved the clip.
Ciraldo told his players in the lead-up to the Panthers’ huge 10-6 win they needed to “protect where you come from”.
The rugby league world is in mourning after the sudden death of Paul Green at 49 years old in his Brisbane home on Thursday morning.
the Daily Telegraph reported that Green had not said anything about feeling ill before his sudden passing, with a postmortem to determine the cause of his death.
Green had been in Sydney last weekend for the Cronulla ex-players’ reunion, one of five teams the former Australian and Queensland representative halfback played for during his career.
Stream every game of every round of the 2022 NRL Telstra Premiership Season Live & Ad-Break Free During Play on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
‘HARD TO BELIEVE’: Tributes flow as NRL rocked by death of Paul Green
Remembering Paul Green’s amazing career | 08:32
Green had a decorated playing career which spanned 162 games, suiting up for the Cronulla Sharks, North Queensland Cowboys, Sydney Roosters, Parramatta Eels and Brisbane Broncos.
He then made the switch to coaching after he hung up the boots, taking the Cowboys to their first-ever premiership in 2015 before also taking over the Queensland Maroons Origin side.
In a playing and coaching career of many highlights, Green’s greatest would be his role in taking North Queensland to its maiden premiership in 2015.
Green first took the helm at the Cowboys in 2014 and saw immediate results as the Cowboys won the inaugural NRL Auckland Nines tournament.
MORE NRL NEWS
The side of Green few got to see… and why it made him so special
The masterstroke in Green’s greatest triumph and iconic celebration that will live forever
Green’s final interview at Old Boys Day | 00:28
North Queensland carried the pre-season form into the season proper, finishing in fifth spot on the ladder before being eliminated by the Roosters in dramatic fashion in the semi-finals.
The Cowboys improved to third in the 2015 season and this time around went all the way to the title, taking down the Broncos in a golden-point thriller for the ages.
North Queensland got back to the grand finale under Green’s watch in 2017 too, even without legendary halfback Johnathan Thurston, but were outclassed by Melbourne.
Paul Green in action for Cronulla.Source: News Corp Australia
North Queensland carried the pre-season form into the season proper, finishing in fifth spot on the ladder before being eliminated by the Roosters in dramatic fashion in the semi-finals.
The Cowboys improved to third in the 2015 season and this time around went all the way to the title, taking down the Broncos in a golden-point thriller for the ages.
North Queensland got back to the grand finale under Green’s watch in 2017 too, even without legendary halfback Johnathan Thurston, but were outclassed by Melbourne.
Last year Thurston revealed the first conversation he had with Green that led to the drought-breaking title triumph in 2015.
“He arrived to the club in 2014 and I remember the first meeting we had at the Dally M’s of 2013,” Thurston told WWOS.
“He asked me what was the perception of the Cowboys at that time. I said, ‘We’re pretty inconsistent’. He stopped me pretty much and said ‘You can’t win away from home, and you can’t win when you’re on the sidelines’ so what do I need to do to change that?
Johnathan Thurston and Paul Green after winning the 2015 NRL Grand Final. Pics Adam HeadSource: News Corp Australia
“We needed to get everyone training to an intensity that is required and he did that, and over those years we went on to win a premiership, make four straight finals and another grand final so he’s a great coach.
“I was bought to the club in 2005 to win a premiership. He got everyone to that level and won that first ever premiership for the club which was great scenes for North Queensland and we’ll never forget it.”
Green said he would “always treasure” the premiership-winning year with the Cowboys upon his exit from the club in 2020.
“I am grateful to the board for allowing me to lead this club whilst creating some lifelong memories,” he said at the time.
Iconic: Green goes wild in 2015 GF win | 00:27
‘AN OUTSTANDING CAREER’: NRL WORLD COUNTRIES TRIBUTE TO GREEN
Tributes were quick to flow in from the rugby league world after news broke of Green’s sudden death.
Former Melbourne Storm and Maroons hooker Cameron Smith called it “shocking news” on SEN Radio.
“A very sad part of the day,” Smith said, reacting to the news alongside Denan Kemp, who was coached by Green in the early stages of his rugby league career.
Daly Cherry-Evans and Maroons coach Paul Green celebrate. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
“It’s certainly rocked myself and Kempy in the studio and everyone in the rugby league world.
“It’s a sad day for everyone involved in the rugby league family and community. We send our best wishes and condolences out to the entire Green family.”
Kemp spent a bit of time learning from Green in the early stages of his career and paid tribute to his ability to turn around the Queensland Cup team the Wynnum Seagulls after a challenging start to the season.
“I was fortunate enough, he was my kicking and catching coach when I was coming through at the Broncos and he was also my coach when I was at Wynnum,” Kemp said.
“I had a small amount to do with him but in the time I did, it was actually really interesting the year I was at Wynnum I ended up signing with another club to leave but we had a really tough start to the season. Greeny managed to turn the Wynnum Seagulls around and we won the premiership that year.
“He’s a fighter. It’s a very sad day to see Greeny go like that.”
‘It’s numbered the state of Queensland’ | 03:08
Former teammate, Martin Lang, posted on Twitter: “This is so sad. Paul was a close mate, we moved to Sydney together in 1993….the beginning of an outstanding NRL playing/coaching career. My sincere condolences to Paul’s wife, children and his dear mum and dad. Rest In Peace mate.”
Meanwhile, Tigers playmaker Jackson Hastings wrote: “Can’t believe the Paul Green news this morning. Achieved it all as a player and coach still had so much to give, taken way to soon. Thoughts and prayers with family and friends. Makes you realize to take nothing for granted. RIP.”
North Queensland halfback Chad Townsend also paid his respects, writing: “RIP Paul Green. Thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends of him at this time. ”
The Eels, Sharks and Roosters Broncos also posted tributes to Green on social media while the Cowboys made a statement on the club’s website.
“Paul first came to our club as a player in the late 90s and was the club’s first Origin representative, but his lasting legacy emanated from his seven-season tenure as Head Coach of the North Queensland Cowboys,” chairman Lewis Ramsay said.
“Paul’s arrival as Head Coach transformed our club from finals contenders to an immediate premiership force, culminating in the historic 2015 Grand Final victory.
“We will forever remember Paul as one of the greatest contributors in Cowboys history.”
NRL OFFICIAL STATEMENT:
Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC) Chairman Peter V’landys said: “Paul was a brilliant player, and then became one of the few to make a very successful transition into coaching. As a player, he represented Cronulla Sharks, North Queensland Cowboys, Sydney Roosters, Parramatta Eels and Brisbane Broncos, and throughout his career he had a reputation as a halfback who was as tough as he was skilful. Paul was rewarded with the Rothmans Medal in 1995.
“As a coach he led the North Queensland Cowboys to one of the most famous Grand Final victories of all time – against Brisbane Broncos in 2015. He represented Queensland and Australia as a player, and only last year coached the Maroons in the State of Origin series.
“I had the pleasure of sitting on the NRL Competition Committee and found Paul to be a passionate, smart and witty individual. Our condolences go to his family and to his many friends of him. ”
NRL CEO Andrew Abdo said: “We are deeply saddened by this loss, and on behalf of the game, I’d like to extend our deepest condolences to Paul’s family, his friends, and those who have been inspired and mentored by him over the course of his long career.”
PAUL GREEN FACT FILE
Playing record:
-Halfback; played 162 first grade games 1994-2004.
* Played 95 games for Cronulla (1994-98)
* 35 for North Queensland (1999-2000)
* 20 for Sydney Roosters (2001-02)
* 7 for Parramatta (2003)
* 5 for Brisbane (2004)
– Played for Cronulla in 1997 Super League grand final
– Represented Queensland in seven State of Origin games 1999-2001.
– Played two Super League Tests for Australia 1997
Coaching appointments:
– Brisbane Broncos Assistant Coach 2009
– Wynnum-Manly Intrust Super Cup 2010-12
-Sydney Roosters Holden Cup 2013
– Sydney Roosters Assistant NRL coach 2013
– Queensland Residents 2012-13
– North Queensland 2014-20
-Queensland 2021
Coaching achievements:
– Won Intrust Super Cup titles with Wynnum-Manly 2011, 2012
– Steered Sydney Roosters Holden Cup team to Finals Series 2013
– Took North Queensland to Finals Series 2014-17
– Won premiership with North Queensland 2015
– Won World Club Championship with North Queensland 2016
Penrith legend Greg Alexander has shut down claims he was sent in by the Panthers to fire a premeditated attack on Melbourne ahead of Thursday’s clash between the clubs.
Speaking after Patrick Carrigan’s ugly hip drop tackle on Tigers star Jackson Hastings, Alexander sparked controversy when he claimed the Storm were to blame for the wrestling tactics which have infiltrated the NRL.
Stream every game of every round of the 2022 NRL Telstra Premiership Season Live & Ad-Break Free During Play on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
Carrigan’s tackle led to Hastings breaking his leg and the Broncos forward copping a four-match suspension.
Storm legend Cameron Smith and Melbourne boss Matt Tripp have fired back in the bitter stoush with Alexander but the footy great is standing firm.
Journalist Brent Read suggested on NRL 360 on Wednesday night Alexander’s comments were timed to add spice to Thursday’s clash and the upcoming finals series.
“I don’t think the club’s gone to Brandy and said, ‘Hey Brandy, how about you go on radio this week and give it to Melbourne’,” Read said.
“But I’m sure there’s a little something in him in the argument that it’s a good time to bring it up, to raise it and point the finger at Melbourne.”
Alexander replied on Thursday, saying “even (Read) didn’t believe what he was saying, the rest of the panel certainly didn’t tumble into it”.
Alexander shut down suggestions he was launching a media campaign against the Storm on behalf of the Panthers.
“It’s ludicrous to think there was any planning in the comments I made,” Alexander told SEN Breakfast. “We made the comments based on our listeners and what they were saying.
“It was about the Patrick Carrigan hip drop and the no-charge to Nelson Asofa-Solomona.
“That’s how the story came about. I just mentioned a couple of things thinking it wasn’t any great revelation. Cam Smith had his say of him, I had my say.
“End of story, there was no planning and nothing to do with Penrith, it was just me.”
Brandy hopes that’s the end of it. Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
It comes as relations between Alexander and the Storm sour, following Tripp’s stinging public rebuke of the Penrith co-chairman. .
Alexander said he was “surprised” by the initial backlash, adding: “I thought it was just a general consensus that over the last 20 years that all the tackles, the wrestling techniques had come out of Melbourne.
“I might be generalizing or even jumping to a conclusion, but I don’t think I am.
“These tackles over the last 20 years, all the different types of techniques, they appear in the game and it takes the game a little while to catch up to them.”
Smith had labeled Alexander’s comments “really unfair” but Tripp went much further, claiming Alexander has been “a Melbourne Storm detractor for many years, to the extent that when he’s commentating one of our games, most of us down here in Melbourne have to watch it with the volume turned down because he’s so biased and so one-sided and so anti-Melbourne that not only is he embarrassing himself, but he’s embarrassing the broadcasters he represents”.
Tripp added the accusation was “beyond absurd”, then doubled down.
“For the deputy chair of one of our biggest competitors, a week out from having to play them, to make unfounded and stupid comments as he has done, just goes to the arrogance of that club and their perceived status in the game at the moment ,” he told The Ageadding it was “borderline defamatory” and “I can’t believe that his continued witch hunt for us for over 20 years still goes on to this day”.
Cameron Smith defended his former club. Photo by Mike Owen/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
Alexander hit back at those comments.
“I wasn’t even aware that in Round 22 Penrith were playing Melbourne on Thursday night. I haven’t got enough room in my brain to think about weeks ahead,” Alexander said on Monday.
“I’m a journalist that chases clickbait stories? If there was someone in the game chasing headlines at least, I might fall into that category with a number of others.
“Another claim was that I’ve been singling out and campaigning against the Melbourne Storm for years.
“That’s just garbage, it’s just fanciful and it’s in the fairytale realm that I speak about sometimes, that’s just made up.”
Others have also come to Alexander’s defence.
His SEN co-host Andrew Voss said “Melbourne is the best at it” when it comes to wrestling tactics.
The Daily Telegraph’s Michael Carayannis told NRL 360: “There’s no doubt the Storm have a chip on their shoulder as soon as anyone mentions the word wrestle.”
Braith Anasta added: “You know what I think about Melbourne, I think they only hear the negative.
“We sit here every week and we commentate their games and we praise them every week about the powerhouse they’ve been since they’ve come into the competition.
“The success they’ve had, their continued success year after year after year under Craig Bellamy and their organization and the head honchos has been unbelievable and unrivalled.
“But if anyone criticizes or criticises Melbourne in any way, shape or form it’s Sydney against Melbourne and we’re attacking Melbourne Storm.”
Cameron Smith’s imminent defection is being viewed as the biggest “coup” to date for LIV in their quest for legitimacy.
Until now, The PGA Tour and its supporters could argue that the rebel league is merely a competition where washed up pros go to fill their bank accounts. No longer.
While tour veterans Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia were the initial names linked to the financially lucrative competition, the domino effect can’t be denied.
Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau and Dustin Johnson – three of the biggest names on the US PGA – have taken the money and left.
Watch LIVE coverage from The USPGA Tour with Fox Sports on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
Cameron Smith’s pending defection to LIV Golf has been met with a mixed reception. Photo: Getty ImagesSource: AFP
Smith’s signing however is being seen as a game-changer.
At 28, he is only now coming into the peak of his powers, he is the most recent major winner and he overran Rory McIlroy, the biggest name in world golf since Tiger Woods, to claim the Open Championship.
Nonetheless, Smith’s pending defection, which the Australian remained coy about ahead of the FedEx Cup playoff opener, hasn’t been filled with overwhelming excitement and a popping of corks.
Indeed, there’s an overarching sense of disappointment, inevitability and sadness about Smith’s likely defection; financial security has won over legacy and moral compass.
McIlroy reveals tension with LIV golfers | 01:30
Writing for the UK Telegraph – the same publication that broke Smith’s defection on a deal worth more than $AU140 million – chiefs sports writer Oliver Brown emphasized that Smith’s defection “might” capture an audience that eventually garners a TV deal.
“His signing is arguably the Saudis’ most significant coup to date, and could represent a tipping point for the competition – a moment where a gilded freakshow turned into a sporting event which might demand the world’s attention,” Brown wrote.
At the heart of the appeal of LIV Golf, Brown hit the nail on his head when he revealed the ridiculous sums of money today’s stars were forgoing by resisting a move from the PGA Tour.
“Against this backdrop, you can see why the initial contact from Greg Norman, LIV’s ringmaster, became an offer Smith could not refuse,” he wrote.
“(Henrick) Stenson, a 46-year-old who has failed to reach the weekend in seven of his last nine majors, is the type of player he should be beating for breakfast. And yet the Swede, quickly forgetting his defenestration of him as Ryder Cup captain, earned more for a glorified three-day exhibition at Bedminster than Smith did for winning the 150th Open at the Home of Golf.
“From Smith’s perspective, this is an imbalance that urgently needs correcting. If he takes home the maximum loot of £3.93 million on his LIV debut in Boston next month, he would eclipse even the £2.98 million he earned at the Players Championship in May, in what was then the richest prize ever offered by a single golf tournament. Why should the leading man tolerate making less than some forgotten members of the chorus line?”
Cam Smith and others set to join LIV | 01:30
Brown continued by highlighting the ridiculous Saudi-funded money on offer but said the sheer financial sums couldn’t, at least at this point, match the theatre, drama and excitement on show at the PGA and DP World Tours.
“The numbers are so absurd, the golf itself has been rendered a sideshow. When Stenson holed the decisive putt at Bedminster, for the grandest payday of his career, the moment was greeted by the faintest rustle of polite applause. Even the winner himself did not look unduly bothered,” Brown wrote in The Telegraph.
“Here lies the sadness in Smith’s defection. With his talent in the fullest bloom, he deserves to be playing in front of the largest galleries, for the highest stakes. LIV ultimately offers him neither. It is a realm with all the money but none of the prestige. Smith, you sense, understands what true glory in golf means. As he gave his acceptance speech on the 18th green at St Andrews, the Claret Jug in his hand, the quaver in his voice suggested he was genuinely overwhelmed.
“For Smith to be swapping such moments for hollow, show-me-the-money exercises is a cause for lament. At one level, his departure from him in his prime from him demonstrates the scale of the Saudis’ ambitions. But at another, it is the grimmest possible reflection of the schism they have wrought.”
READ MORE
ODD: Courtroom reveal exposes damning side to high-paying LIV Golf contracts
WOW: Aussie star Smith drops $140m PGA bombshell as shock Open twist revealed
NEXT TIME: Aussie Matt Jones rejected from $75m event, ‘icy’ standoff avoided as LIV court bid fails
Australia’s Cameron Smith’s decision not to answer whether he is joining LIV has been described as “cowardly” and “lame”. Photo: Getty ImagesSource: AFP
At the USATodayAndy Nesbitt, was far more scathing.
In particular, the publication took aim at Smith’s decision to deflect questions around his future and offer no definitive answer on whether he intended to shift allegiances.
“In doing so, (Smith) tarnished a reputation that just a few weeks ago was one of the best in professional golf,” Nesbitt wrote.
“Smith didn’t deny it and he didn’t confirm it, he just said he had “no comment” on that, which is a really lame way of ducking the question while also pretty much confirming the report to be true.”
Nesbitt went as far as saying his responses were “cowardly.”
“But to not come out with a definitive answer when asked about it before the start of the PGA Tour playoffs is a pretty cowardly thing to do.
“Now it’s a little harder to cheer for a guy who just a few weeks ago was the coolest golfer in the world.”
Terse Cam refuses to address LIV rumors | 00:43
Thomas Kershaw from The Timestoo, wrote that Smith’s pending defection was the competition’s “biggest coup”.
“It has been very easy up until now to dismiss the gimmicks of LIV’s format — featuring shotgun starts, 54 holes and no cuts — as a watered-down exhibition lacking the essentials of elite competition. Critics could point to the players who shrugged off missed putts knowing their money was guaranteed beforehand and the rebel series was derived as a refuge for those who had cashed in on the twilight of their careers,” Kershaw wrote.
“The signing of Smith is a significant riposte to that narrative. LIV may already have a horde of relatively recent major champions but Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka have battled injuries and indifferent form while Phil Mickelson still seems a ghost of his former self. Smith, 28, is the first to defect who is not just at the peak of the game but still entering the prime of his own.
He continued: “Smith remains LIV’s biggest coup to date and also symbolizes another aspect of their revolt that could bring considerable success. Smith had been vocal in urging the PGA Tour to bring a major golf event back to Australia but while those calls fell on deaf ears, LIV — and Norman — have been only too keen to hear them. When LIV expands into a 14-tournament league next year, it is reportedly scheduled to stop in Sydney in April, where Smith is expected to feature in an all-Australian team.”
Australian Cameron Smith is coming under renewed scrutiny ahead of the FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind on August 10, 2022 in Memphis. Photo: Getty ImagesSource: AFP
Closer to home, James Erskine, the former manager of the late Shane Warne, who also managed Greg Norman in the past, told The Sydney Morning Herald the emergence of LIV was “destabilizing”, but didn’t accept the argument that players had blood on their hands given the competition is being backed by Saudi Arabia.
“It’s destabilizing the fabric of professional golf. I’m on the board of the PGA of Australia and we have to look after all professionals and professionals coming up. They all start as amateurs somewhere and are nurtured through the pathway so they could play golf, and then they get cards and qualify professionally,” he said. “So many people do business with Saudi Arabia and the Middle East, where they have very different rules and regulations and different respect for women.
“But you can name just about any company and they will probably have a link to Saudi Arabia, Rolex, Range Rover, Rolls Royce, Ferrari. Everyone’s doing business with them, so I think it’s very unfair to turn around and say because you’re a professional golfer, you shouldn’t deal with Saudi Arabia.”
Meanwhile, Erskine said Smith would be welcomed to play in Australia even if he joins LIV Golf.
Controversy swirling over the upstart LIV Golf series got “a little more personal” when 11 LIV rebels sued the US PGA Tour this week, according to Northern Ireland star Rory McIlroy.
McIlroy and fellow US PGA Tour pro Justin Thomas both welcomed a judge’s ruling that denied a request by three LIV Golf players for a temporary restraining order that would have allowed them to play in the St. Jude Championship this week, the first event of the US PGA Tour’s season-ending playoffs.
The three players qualified for the playoffs were among 11 golfers who filed an anti-trust lawsuit against the US Tour challenging the indefinite suspensions imposed by PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan upon those who played in any of the Saudi-backed LIV tour’s first three events.
Watch LIVE coverage from The USPGA Tour with Fox Sports on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
Rory McIlroy says the PGA had a little win against LIV Golf after a court’s decision to bar three players from playing in the FedEx Cup at TPC Southwind. Photo: Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
McIlroy, who has been a critic of the new series offering stunning $20 million purses for its 54-hole events as well as signing bonuses reportedly worth tens of millions for some stars, said he believed golfers had the right to choose the new tour — but the US PGA Tour also had the right to exclude those who made that decision.
“Guys are going to make their own decisions that they feel is best for them and that’s totally fine,” McIlroy said after playing a pro-am round at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee.
“I don’t begrudge anyone for going over to play LIV or taking guaranteed money.
“I think where the resentment comes from the membership of this tour is the fact that they want to try to get their way back in here with no consequences, and anyone that’s read the PGA Tour handbook or abided by the rules and regulations, that would feel very unfair to them.”
Cam Smith and others set to join LIV | 01:30
As a PGA Tour board member, McIlroy has even-handedly fielded questions about LIV Golf — spearheaded by Australian Greg Norman — for months. It comes as the Australian world No.2 Cameron Smith is said to have joined the rebels on a deal worth $140 million.
But I have acknowledged that the lawsuit hit close to the bone.
“I certainly have a little more respect for the guys who haven’t put their names to the suit,” McIlroy said.
“It’s become a little more personal because of that.”
The fact that Australian Matt Jones and Americans Talor Gooch and Hudson Swafford weren’t given temporary relief from their suspensions to compete in the playoffs was, McIlroy said, “a good day for the Tour and for the majority of the membership.”
READ MORE
ODD: Courtroom reveal exposes damning side to high-paying LIV Golf contracts
WOW: Aussie star Smith drops $140m PGA bombshell as shock Open twist revealed
NEXT TIME: Aussie Matt Jones rejected from $75m event, ‘icy’ standoff avoided as LIV court bid fails
Donald Trump backs LIV Golf Series | 00:46
I have noted, however, that it remained to be seen how the full lawsuit would play out.
“It’s like you birdied the first hole, but you’ve still got 17 holes to go,” he said.
– Play golf, stop worrying –
Thomas said he’s not looking too closely at what promises to be a protracted legal battle.
“The only thing I really care about is this golf tournament and trying to play well and trying to win the FedExCup,” Thomas said.
“And to be honest, I just don’t care about all that stuff that’s going on.
“However it’s going to happen is going to happen. I may have an opinion here or there, but at the end of the day, once it gets to this point, it’s way out of my hands in terms of getting to lawyers and judges and things of that nature.
“So I just want to play golf and stop worrying about it,” added Thomas, who described being asked about the controversy at a wedding he attended recently.
That said, Thomas agreed with McIlroy that the lawsuit, and the demand of LIV rebels that they be allowed to return to the PGA Tour, intensified feeling around the issue.
“You can have your cake, but you don’t need to eat it, too,” he said.
“And they got their fair share of a large, large amount of cake and go eat it on your own means. You don’t need to bring it onto our tour.”
It turns out that at least some players who have ditched the PGA Tour for the riches of the LIV Golf Series aren’t actually earning a dime when it comes to their results in the lucrative, but controversial, Saudi-backed circuit.
That bombshell was revealed Tuesday in US District Court in San Jose, Calif., where a federal judge denied a temporary restraining order for three players currently suspended by the tour after leaving for LIV, the New York Post reports.
Watch LIVE coverage from The USPGA Tour with Fox Sports on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
They were seeking to be allowed to play in the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Playoffs, which begins this week in Memphis.
During the hearing, a lawyer representing LIV said that players’ earnings are counted against the upfront money they receive for joining.
That means a $4 million first-place winner’s check would essentially amount to money a player has already been paid for signing with the rival faction. The lawyer said that not every contract is the same, but also said not all money is guaranteed, before moving on in the case.
Shark has lured the biggest names away from the PGA. (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
That contradicts what a LIV official and some players have said up to this point.
When Brooks Koepka was pressed at the LIV tournament outside Portland, Ore., last month on whether a player’s winnings come out of the signing bonus, the four-time major champion said, “That’s not — no. Nope.” When questioned again on the issue, he said, “No. I don’t know — it’s irrelevant.”
The contract bombshell. (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
At the end of the press conference in Portland, a LIV official in Portland tried to clear up the matter at the time.
“I just wanted to address [the] question earlier when you were asking about the prize purses and if they are in addition to the contracts,” she said. “The prize purses are in addition to. There is no draw at LIV Golf on any finances,” she said. “We just wanted to, on the record, it’s in addition to. And while you guys have, this is your first event, but you should know that from your contracts. You can test it. Thank you guys.”
That appears to not exactly be the case after all, however, according to one of LIV’s own attorneys.
This article originally appeared on the NY Post and was reproduced with permission.
A federal judge has denied a request by three LIV Golf Series players, including Australian Matt Jones, for a temporary restraining order allowing them to play in this week’s $US75m PGA Tour FedEx Cup playoffs.
US District Court Judge Beth Labson Freeman made the ruling after a hearing at San Jose on the lawsuit filed in the Northern District of California. The news came on a dramatic day in which Aussie world No.2 Cameron Smith was reported to have signed on for the Greg Norman-led rebel tour.
Jones and Americans Talor Gooch and Hudson Swafford had sought the chance to compete in the FedEx Cup playoff opener, the St. Jude’s Championship, that begins Thursday in Memphis.
Watch LIVE coverage from The USPGA Tour with Fox Sports on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
Terse Cam refuses to address LIV rumors | 00:43
All three were among those suspended by the PGA Tour after they teed off in their first event of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Series in June. The ruling upheld that ban.
“We’re disappointed that Talor Gooch, Hudson Swafford and Matt Jones won’t be allowed to play golf,” LIV Golf said in a statement. “No one gains by banning golfers from playing.” Gooch was ranked 20th in FedEx Cup points with Jones 65th and Swafford 67th. The top 125 players in season points qualified for Memphis with 70 players advancing to next week’s BMW Championship and the top 30 reaching the season-ending Tour Championship in Atlanta.
Had they been able to play and reached the Tour Championship, the trio would have earned berths in next year’s Masters and US and British Opens.
But LIV Golf players could not show irreparable harm since they will be allowed to play LIV Golf events when those resume next month in Boston.
While LIV Golf players claim they are independent contractors, the PGA Tour argued they were members and the tour can punish members who violate rules, such as playing in LIV events.
Smith tightlipped on rumored defection | 05:10
“With today’s news, our players, fans and partners can now focus on what really matters over the next three weeks, the best players in the world competing in the FedEx Cup playoffs,” PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said in a memo obtained by The GolfChannel.
LIV Golf has lured away such top stars as Dustin Johnson and Henrik Stenson with guaranteed money and record purses of $25 million at events.
Jones, Gooch and Swafford were among 11 LIV Golf players who filed an anti-trust lawsuit against the PGA Tour.
Mexico’s Carlos Ortiz, who had been among the 11 players in the lawsuit, has dropped out of the case, his manager said.
Some players at Memphis warned of a frosty reception for LIV golfers had they been allowed to tee off after departing for richer prize money as well as trying to knock PGA players out of their own playoffs.
“Going to be a pretty icy Thursday morning if those guys play,” 2009 US Open champion Lucas Glover told The Golf Channel. “They want their cake and eat it too.”
