The controversy surrounding LIV Golf isn’t going away anytime quickly and Tuesday the insurgent outfit was thrust into the highlight once more.
This time it was Billy Horschel ripping gamers who bolted for the Saudi-backed circuit solely to indicate up for this week’s BMW PGA Championship, the flagship match on the DP World Tour (previously European Tour).
“Despite the fact that Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter have been stalwarts for the European Tour, I don’t suppose these guys actually must be right here,” Horschel advised reporters on Tuesday on the Wentworth Membership outdoors London. “I truthfully don’t suppose that the American guys who haven’t supported the PGA Tour must be right here.
“Abraham Ancer, Talor Gooch, Jason Kokrak, you’ve by no means performed this match, you’ve by no means supported the DP World Tour. Why are you right here? You might be right here for one cause solely and that’s to attempt to get World Rating factors since you don’t have them [in LIV Golf].”
Kokrak truly isn’t the sphere, although he was initially.
Horschel, who isn’t shy about sharing his opinion, didn’t cease there. He additionally took intention at one in all Europe’s largest stars, Sergio Garcia.
Based on Horschel, who's a member of the PGA Tour however has additionally performed plenty of DP World Tour occasions and final yr received the BMW PGA, Garcia launched right into a rant about LIV again in June on the BMW Worldwide in Germany.
“Sergio had a kickoff within the locker room, and he mentioned sure issues that really didn’t make it out into the general public,” Horschel mentioned. “Clearly some did, however he mentioned another issues. I’m not going to say what he mentioned as a result of I wasn’t there. So that is second-hand info. However a number of the gamers who have been there advised me. I used to be fairly shocked at what Sergio needed to say.”
Among the many particulars from the expletive-filled tirade that did leak out, per The Telegraph in the UK, was the 42-year-old 10-time Ryder Cupper and 2017 Masters champ shouting “this tour is s–t, you’re f–ked, ought to’ve taken the Saudi cash.”
Like on the PGA Tour, gamers who ditched the DP World Tour for LIV have been banned from competing in that circuit’s occasions. However a “keep” issued again in July is permitting them to compete on the DP World Tour till the case might be heard early subsequent yr.
However Horschel, 35, is questioning why Garcia, together with the opposite 16 gamers from LIV, are teeing it up within the DP World Tour occasion after expressing their wishes for LIV.
“It’s hypocritical due to what a few of these guys have mentioned this week, once they mentioned they wished to play much less golf,” Horschel, a seven-time PGA Tour winner and No. 15 on this planet, mentioned. “It’s fairly hypocritical to return over right here and play outdoors LIV when your massive factor was to spend extra time with household and wish to play much less golf.
“I wouldn’t name Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter hypocrites as a result of they by no means mentioned they wished to play much less. The fellows which have publicly acknowledged they wish to play much less, these are the hypocrites. Simply be clear on that. It’s not each one in all them. And there are a couple of of these hypocrites right here this week as a result of they wished to play much less, however they're taking part in one other occasion that’s not a LIV occasion.”
He additionally pointed the finger at a few of these behind the choices by the gamers — their brokers.
“A few of these brokers led guys down a nasty street,” Horschel mentioned. “They noticed greenback indicators and so they wished to money in on their aspect of it.”
Horschel wasn’t alone in his criticism on Tuesday, both.
World No. 2 Jon Rahm likewise questioned why gamers from LIV have been teeing it up within the BMW PGA.
“What I don’t perceive is a few gamers which have by no means proven any curiosity within the European Tour, have by no means proven any curiosity in taking part in this occasion, are being given a possibility simply because they will get World Rating factors,” the Spaniard and 2021 U.S. Open champion mentioned. “A very good good friend of mine, Alfredo Garcia-Heredia, is the primary one out on the entry record proper now. It bugs me that anyone who has performed over 20 DP World occasions this yr can't be given the chance to play a flagship occasion. Others are being given a possibility once they couldn’t care any much less in regards to the occasion. They don’t know. They don’t care. They don’t know the historical past of this occasion. They're solely right here as a result of they're attempting to get World Rating factors and attempting to complete within the top-50. That’s clear as day.”
It’s additionally clear golf’s nice divide isn’t going anyplace anytime quickly.
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