Australian Cameron Smith was penalized two strokes by US PGA Tour officials, dimming his chances of a victory at the St. Jude Championship to become world number one and putting a dent in his campaign to take out the $25m FedEx Cup playoffs.
World number two Smith started the final round in Memphis, Tennessee, four strokes off the pace instead of only two after the punishment was applied for improper ball placement.
Smith, who has deflected questions this week on reports he will jump to LIV Golf after the PGA playoffs, made the violation on the par-3 fourth hole in the third round at TPC Southwind.
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FINAL LEADERBOARD
S1 — Will Zalatoris (-15)
T1 — Sepp Straka (-15)
S3 — Lucas Glover (-12)
S3—Brian Harman (-12)
S5—Trey Mullinax (-11)
S5—Matt Fitzpatrick (-11)
T5 — Tony Finau (-11)
S5—Andrew Putnam (-11)
S5—Adam Scott (-11)
S5—Colin Morikawa (-11)
S5—Jon Rahm (-11)
Cameron Smith suffered a setback. Andy Lyons/Getty Images/AFPSource: AFP
Gary Young of the PGA Tour rules staff said that Smith plunked his tee shot into the water on the hole and when he dropped the ball outside the penalty area, it rolled back and came to rest touching the red hazard marking line.
Rules committee members reviewed video replays of the hole and brought in Smith to talk about the infraction.
“At that point, he said yes, my ball was definitely touching the line,” Young said. “He wasn’t aware that no portion of the ball could be touching the line.
“You have to take complete relief from that area.”
The two-stroke punishment boosted Smith’s score from a three-under par 67 to a one-under 69 that left him on nine-under 201 through 54 holes, four adrift of 54-hole leader JJ Spaun.
“He felt it was OK to play it from there but unfortunately the rules say differently,” Young said.
“The rules give the player, as long as the player has shown reasonable judgment in determining whether or not his ball was in or out of the penalty area in this situation with his own naked eye, I thought it was simply going to be a situation where I asked Cam the question and he was going to tell him that he was comfortable that his ball was outside the penalty area.
“When I asked him the question, unfortunately, he said to me, ‘No, the ball was definitely touching the line’. So at that point there’s no turning back. That was a moment where I know that the player has knowledge that the ball was touching the line, he just simply didn’t understand the rule that it requires the entire ball to be outside of the penalty area and in his relief area. So that was the tough part.”
“He just said to me, ‘The rules are the rules.’ I just accepted it and left the office.”
Elsewhere, fellow Australian Adam Scott’s four-under-par 66 took up to the top of the leaderboard at 11 under midway through the final round.
‘Ready to cop some heat’ Smith talks LIV | 00:49
Smith seeks his seventh career PGA title and his fourth of the year after the Tournament of Champions, the Players Championship and taking the Claret Jug last month at St. Andrews.
A victory would vault Smith over Masters champion Scottie Scheffler of the United States to the top of the world rankings for the first time in his career.
Smith said his game has not been affected by distractions this week such as numerous questions about his future and reports compatriot Cameron Percy said the Smith has already made a deal to join LIV Golf.
“My goal here is to win the FedExCup playoffs. That’s all I’m here for,” Smith said earlier this week. “If there’s something I need to say regarding the PGA Tour or LIV, it will come from Cameron Smith, not Cameron Percy.
“I’m a man of my word and whenever you guys need to know anything, it’ll be said by me.”
JJ Spaun birdied two of the last three holes to shoot a two-under par 68 for a one-stroke lead after Saturday’s third round of the US PGA Tour’s St. Jude Championship.
Spaun tapped in to birdie the par-5 16th and holed a 17-foot birdie putt at the 17th then stood alone at the top after Austrian Sepp Straka missed a nine-foot par putt at the 18th at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee.
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The 31-year-old American stood on 13-under 197 through 54 holes with Straka on 198 after shooting 68.
British Open champion Cameron Smith of Australia fired 67 to share third on 199 with Americans Will Zalatoris and Trey Mullinax. Americans Tyler Duncan and Troy Merritt were another stroke adrift.
However, Smith had to cop some stick from fans as he walked the course.
The tournament opens the FedEx Cup playoffs, three season-ending events with a winner’s prize of $18 million.
Only 125 players qualified on season points and only the top 70 advance to next week’s BMW Championship, where the 30 qualifiers for the Tour Championship in Atlanta are decided.
‘Ready to cop some heat’ Smith talks LIV | 00:49
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World No. 1 commits ultimate golfing sin on Smith … sparking storm about whether he meant it
‘Ready to cop some heat’: Cam Smith’s big admission over $140m PGA bombshell
Spaun won his first PGA title after 147 tour starts in April at the Texas Open while Straka, who missed six consecutive cuts coming into this week, won his first PGA title in February at the Honda Classic.
Spaun began with nine pars before a bogey at 10, but sank an 11-foot birdie putt at the par-3 11th and overtook Straka with his closing surge.
After a birdie-bogey start, Straka sank a 15-foot birdie putt at the fifth hole and another from just inside 12 feet at the sixth to seize the outright lead, but he fell back with a bogey at seven.
Straka took the lead alone with a 16-foot birdie putt at the 13th and grabbed a two-stroke lead by sinking a six-foot birdie putt at 15, setting the stage for Spaun’s run.
Zalatoris, still chasing his first PGA Tour victory, was a runner-up this year at the PGA Championship and US Open and last year in his Masters debut.
“I played on the biggest stages in three majors and I felt comfortable in those positions,” he said.
“I haven’t gotten a win out of it yet. Eventually we will and hopefully tomorrow is it.”
LIV golfers still welcome in Australia | 01:46
World number 14 Zalatoris, who turns 26 on Tuesday, has a PGA-high eight top-10 finishes without a victory this season.
“Today was awesome,” Zalatoris said of his 65.
“Tee to green was great and I rolled in a couple nice putts, so I just need to keep that going.”
Zalatoris split with caddy Ryan Goble last week and new caddy Joel Stock has read his putts the past 36 holes.
“It has been great,” Zalatoris said.
“He has been awesome. Obviously it has paid off. He’s doing a good job.”
Mullinax, who shot 66, won his first PGA title at last month’s Barbasol Championship.
He began the week 70th in points, the last spot to advance, but is in position to leap into the top 30.
“Been playing really well,” he said. “Just going out and sticking to the game plan.”
Duncan birdied four of the first six holes to shoot 67.
It has been 77 starts without a top-10 finish for Duncan since his lone PGA victory at the 2019 RSM Classic.
Rickie Fowler found water twice on the way to a quintuple-bogey nine on the 18th hole. He shot 72 to stand on 208, likely dooming his bid to advance in the playoffs.
Australia’s Cam Smith is reportedly defecting to LIV Golf in a $140m deal – but he’s still storming up the leaderboard at the FedEx St Jude Championship as the PGA Tour playoffs begin.
After a stunning hole-out eagle from 156 yards capped a respectable opening round at TPC Southwind in Memphis as the world number two finished three-under, the second day saw him emerge into contention.
A sensational draw shot gave Smith an eagle chance on the par-five 16th, and the Australian duly drained the putt to move to eight-under overall and three off the lead.
But a tricky birdie putt on the 17th just curled around the cup and missed, as a commentator exclaimed: “How did that stay out?”
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Cam Smith holes out for EAGLE! | 00:24
Smith finished -8 overall after his second round 65, leaving three shots behind solo leader JJ Spaun (62.67).
Smith picked up birdies on the fifth and sixth holes, and another on the eighth and 14th holes.
A poor drive found the rough on the 15th, where he gave a shot back, before his impressive eagle on the 16th.
Austrian Sepp Straka (64.66) is tied for second with American Troy Merritt (65.65) on 10 under. Straka remarkably had missed his last six cuts before this event.
“Took what the course gave me,” Spaun said. “I worked on some good things in the past couple weeks that are starting to pay off. Got a nice feel with my swing and just trusting it. And the putter is working, too.”
Straka birdied four of the last five holes to shoot 66. “Hadn’t played great coming into this week,” Straka said. “But that’s golf. You’re going to have the ebbs and flows and just go with it.”
‘Ready to cop some heat’ Smith talks LIV | 00:49
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Meanwhile world number one Scottie Scheffler missed the cut for just the fourth time this season, a bombshell result that gives Smith a huge opportunity to claim the PGA Tour playoffs.
The tournament is the opener of the FedEx Cup playoffs, a season-ending trio of events with a winner’s prize of $18 million USD.
Only 125 players qualified on season points and only the top 70 advance to next week’s BMW Championship, where the 30 qualifiers for the Tour Championship in Atlanta are decided.
Aussie Adam Scott carded a 67 to finish seven-under overall, while fellow Aussie trio Marc Leishman (69.69), Cam Davis (72.66), both just mad the cut at two-under.
But Lucas Herbert missed the cut after a second-round 70 left him three-over total after a poor opening-round 73, while Jason Day (65, 74) also missed out.
Four-time major winner Rory McIlroy missed the weekend after a 69 to stand on 139, one over the cut line.
World No.2 Cameron Smith kept his cool amid a growing storm about his potential defection to Saudi-backed LIV Golf and declared he was ready to “cop some heat” for pre-tournament denials.
The Telegraph this week reported Smith had inked $140 million (AUD) to join the Greg Norman-run league with fellow Aussie Marc Leishman.
Smith was pressed on the report ahead of the start of the FedEex Cup Playoffs and refused to be drawn on it.
“You know, my goal here is to win the FedExCup Playoffs,” Smith said.
“That’s all I’m here for. I’m a man of my word and whenever you guys need to know anything, it’ll be said by me.”
But after carding an opening round three-under at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the world No.2 said he understood the line of 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.”
The comments will likely be interpreted by some as strengthening of the case that he has flawed to the rebel tour which has already signed up the likes of Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Sergio Garcia.
But while Smith remains in focus Jason 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.
Cameron Smith had an up-and-down round. Picture: Andy Lyons/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images
“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.
Scottie Scheffler is coming under fire for his cardinal sin during the opening round of the PGA Tour’s FedEx St. Jude Championship in Memphis.
The world No.1, who won this year’s Masters and backed it up by finishing runner-up at the US Open, walked across Open Champion Cameron Smith’s line on the 12th hole as the world No.2 prepared to make a putt.
As a seemingly oblivious Scheffler walked across the green, Smith, 28, looked up at his rival quizzically before returning his focus on the hole.
Eagle eye fans didn’t miss the moment, however, as they highlighted Scheffler’s actions as a not-so-subtle attack on Smith, who is reportedly sitting on a deal to join the rival LIV Golf Series on a deal worth an estimated $AU140 million.
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Cam Smith holes out for EAGLE! | 00:24
“This is basically golf’s version of throwing at someone’s head,” one Twitter user wrote.
Another said: “Spicy head games from Scottie LIV related?”
Interestingly, though, only a hole earlier Smith and Scheffler had high-fived each other on the green.
But, then again, Smith did record an eagle on 13 as he holed out from 156 yards. Did it help his focus on him?
READ MORE
J-Day of old stuns to revive hopes in $75m event, Smith’s strong response to LIV drama
While Scheffler has not criticized Smith for his coy responses regarding his future, the world No.1 hit out at the golfers, including Australian Matt Jones, who tried to gain an exemption to play at this week’s FedEx playoffs despite joining the rebel golf league.
“Those guys kind of made their decision to go join another tour and they broke the rules and regulations of our tour and now they’re trying to sue us, which is definitely a bit frustrating,” Scheffler said ahead of the tournament.
“I definitely am surprised to see some guys now suing us. If they win, come out here and play, that’s something that’s up to the courts, I can’t control what’s going to happen in a court case. Definitely interested but at the end of the day it has no effect on my preparation for the week.”
Scheffler had a frustrating opening round, finishing one-over. Smith managed to put a difficult fortnight to rest, posting a respectable three-under pair to be firmly in the mix.
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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.
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.
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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.”
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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.
A US couple have opened up about how their best friend – and bridesmaid at their wedding – became their girlfriend.
Tyler, 29, met 26-year-old Angel on a dating app in 2018 and quickly fell in love.
But after becoming engaged three years later, the pair from Memphis, Tennessee asked Angel’s college friend Sam to move in with them, forming a “throuple”.
The 23-year-old was right by their sides when Tyler and Angel tied the knot in May, performing the dual role as bridesmaid and girlfriend of the bride and groom.
Now the trio have detailed the struggles of being in a three person relationship – revealing how they navigate their sex life and the shock reaction from one disapproving family member.
At the beginning of their relationship, Angel said she experienced “jealousy” but explained they have worked through it now. “We were scared to open up to each other, it’s intimidating to add a whole other person into your life that you can depend upon,” she told truly.
“I was being selfish but have worked through my jealousy. Now they go on dates, we go on dates, and all three of us go on dates.”
Their sex life works similarly, with Angel, Tyler and Sam all sharing one bed, but rarely being intimate as a trio.
Instead, two of them take the bedroom while the other “watches TV, cooks or cleans”.
But while adjusting to life as a threesome ran pretty smoothly, their relationship hasn’t been accepted by everyone.
A week before Tyler and Angel’s wedding, Tyler’s cousin found out about his polyamorous relationship and refused to attend – despite the fact he was set to be a groomsman.
However, Sam and Angel’s family found out through the throuple’s TikTok channel, and were very accepting.
Their social media platforms have however made them the target of online abuse, with the throuple admitting “backlash is a daily thing”.
But the trio – who realized they shared a connection after enjoying a “one night thing” at a festival – say they are stronger than ever.
In a recent video, they revealed they have “finally found the courage to show PDA in public as a throuple”.
And Tyler says he has plans to propose to Sam down the track too.
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.
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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
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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.
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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.
