At the 122nd U.S. Open in history, fifteen golfers who left the PGA Tour to join Saudi-supported LIV Golf competed with the very golfers whom they have just betrayed. The national championship of golf could be changed forever.
The fight between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf has been quite controversial in the golf world. Accusations of greed and betrayal by famous golfers have been made, heightening the debate.
Phil Mickelson, a six-time major champion, started his first hole at the U.S. Open. He left the PGA Tour and joined LIV Golf two weeks ago. He was reportedly paid $200 million to be the star of the LIV Golf tour, which is a rebel circuit backed by the sovereign wealth fund in Saudi Arabia.
One would expect there would be booing at the country club where the U.S. Open was held for rebel LIV Golf players, but there was not.
As Mickelson was preparing for his first shot, the fans applauded. The applause was noticeably quieter than last year when Mickelson won the PGA Championship to become the oldest major champion ever, but it was still heartfelt.
Similar to Mickelson’s reception, Dustin Johnson, the top-ranked player for LIV Golf, received the same quieter but still a passionate greeting.
Before Mickelson’s tee time, Webb Simpson, the PGA Tour aligned 2012 U.S. Open champion gave Mickelson a smile and a fist bump. Shane Lowry, who played in the same group as Mickelson in another match, was insistent he will not join the rival LIV Tour, but he was also chatting with Mickelson and LIV Golf player Louis Oosthuizen as if there were no tension between the three even though there certainly was between the different circuits they were in.
At the course, last Thursday, LIV Golf and PGA Tour players were mixed in groups. A group was composed of defending U.S. Open champion Jon Rahm, 2020 P.G.A. Championship winner Collin Morikawa, and 2021 U.S. Amateur champion James Piot, who had joined and played in the first LIV Golf Tournament. The group was civil and displayed the typical common courtesies of a golfer.
PGA Tour supportive Justin Thomas said: “You can disagree with the decision. You can maybe wish that they did something different. But for people at home to necessarily say that Dustin Johnson is now a bad person, that’s not fair. That’s just not right.”
It seems that propriety has won over the hostility between the PGA Tour and the rival LIV Golf.
The fight between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf has been quite controversial in the golf world. Accusations of greed and betrayal by famous golfers have been made, heightening the debate.
Phil Mickelson, a six-time major champion, started his first hole at the U.S. Open. He left the PGA Tour and joined LIV Golf two weeks ago. He was reportedly paid $200 million to be the star of the LIV Golf tour, which is a rebel circuit backed by the sovereign wealth fund in Saudi Arabia.
One would expect there would be booing at the country club where the U.S. Open was held for rebel LIV Golf players, but there was not.
As Mickelson was preparing for his first shot, the fans applauded. The applause was noticeably quieter than last year when Mickelson won the PGA Championship to become the oldest major champion ever, but it was still heartfelt.
Similar to Mickelson’s reception, Dustin Johnson, the top-ranked player for LIV Golf, received the same quieter but still a passionate greeting.
Before Mickelson’s tee time, Webb Simpson, the PGA Tour aligned 2012 U.S. Open champion gave Mickelson a smile and a fist bump. Shane Lowry, who played in the same group as Mickelson in another match, was insistent he will not join the rival LIV Tour, but he was also chatting with Mickelson and LIV Golf player Louis Oosthuizen as if there were no tension between the three even though there certainly was between the different circuits they were in.
At the course, last Thursday, LIV Golf and PGA Tour players were mixed in groups. A group was composed of defending U.S. Open champion Jon Rahm, 2020 P.G.A. Championship winner Collin Morikawa, and 2021 U.S. Amateur champion James Piot, who had joined and played in the first LIV Golf Tournament. The group was civil and displayed the typical common courtesies of a golfer.
PGA Tour supportive Justin Thomas said: “You can disagree with the decision. You can maybe wish that they did something different. But for people at home to necessarily say that Dustin Johnson is now a bad person, that’s not fair. That’s just not right.”
It seems that propriety has won over the hostility between the PGA Tour and the rival LIV Golf.
