
via Imago
GOLF AUSTRALIAN OPEN, Cameron Smith during the ISPS Handa Australian Open 2022 golf tournament at the Victoria Golf Club in Melbourne, Saturday, December 3, 2022. ACHTUNG: NUR REDAKTIONELLE NUTZUNG, KEINE ARCHIVIERUNG UND KEINE BUCHNUTZUNG MELBOURNE VICTORIA AUSTRALIA PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xCONxCHRONISx 20221203001738237445

via Imago
GOLF AUSTRALIAN OPEN, Cameron Smith during the ISPS Handa Australian Open 2022 golf tournament at the Victoria Golf Club in Melbourne, Saturday, December 3, 2022. ACHTUNG: NUR REDAKTIONELLE NUTZUNG, KEINE ARCHIVIERUNG UND KEINE BUCHNUTZUNG MELBOURNE VICTORIA AUSTRALIA PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xCONxCHRONISx 20221203001738237445
The illustrious Open Championship has officially begun, with many elite players competing for the coveted trophy. These majors are not only the best way for any golfer to establish their legacies, but they also serve other purposes. They are the fields of unity within diversity. Despite the fact that the golf world is divided into many leagues, golfers from many backgrounds are here truly for the sake of the game.
However, it seems like the Open Championship is affected by the animosity prevalent in the golf world. The R&A’s decision regarding featured groups is getting a lot of backlash. Let’s find out!
The Round Two featured groups controversy
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The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, which oversees the Rules of Golf, alone decides which players will play with which group and when.
For Round Two of the Open, The Featured Groups that are scheduled for the live broadcast are World No. 2 Rory McIlroy, and World No. 3 Jon Rahm, along with Justin Rose, a former major champion. Scottie Scheffler, the World No. 1, will play alongside Tommy Fleetwood and Adam Scott. Along with Jason Day and Matt Fitzpatrick, Jordan Spieth will start the round. Tyrrell Hatton and Max Homa will be playing with Collin Morikawa
Interestingly, not one LIV Golfer is included in the list. NUCLR GOLF shared this fact on Twitter and wrote: ”#LIV BLACKOUT — LIV Golfers will NOT be featured for the second straight day, including defending #TheOpen Champion Cam Smith”
🚨#LIV BLACKOUT — LIV Golfers will NOT be featured for the second straight day, including defending #TheOpen Champion Cam Smith 👀
🦚 📺 Round 2 Featured Groups:
▪️McIlory – Rahm – Rose
▪️Morikawa – Homa – Hatton
▪️Spieth – Fitz – Day
▪️Scheffler – Fleetwood – Scott pic.twitter.com/FdvPczCZrr— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) July 21, 2023
The featured group on the television broadcast did not include the defending champion, Cameron Smith, Phil Mickelson, who has won the most majors in the competition, or Brooks Koepka, who took home this year’s PGA Championship. And not only that, since Rahm is on the featured group he doesn’t want to look bad on television. And thus gave a straight statement to everyone including the Just Oil Protestors. ”I do have a reputation, so I hope they don’t catch me on a bad hole.” Let’s see how fans reacted to the R&A’s mess.
The featured group partiality got R&A some serious backlash
Many fans were furious regarding partial behavior against the LIV Golfers. They all showed their anger. One fan even commented that this was a classless move. While one commented that this was no longer a major now:
Classless move.
— DrunkByTheTurn (@DrunkByTheTurn_) July 21, 2023
The British Open is no longer a “major”
— Bernie Berner (@myBErnerhandle) July 21, 2023
Wont be watching
— CoxOutForLiv 🗣️ 🍆 (Alpha Male) (@rosesareredson) July 21, 2023
One fan even commented that next year it will be hard for R&A to ignore the LIV Golfers because of the merger:
Just pure spite this is. Let’s see what happens next year #merge 👀
— Paul Cann 🔰 (@Cann_UK) July 21, 2023
One fan even said that once the LIV golfers are leading, it will be hard to ignore them:
Just wait till they are in the leading groups. Good luck blacking them out.
— Guy Wilson (@Guy_Wilson_Golf) July 21, 2023
One fan even said that R&A still doesn’t know about the merger. After the merger, all leagues will come under one umbrella:
R & A missed the cut ! Didn’t they get the memo they are all one team one organization going forward. Let love rule.
— WilliamBriggsDDS (@WilliaBriggsDDS) July 21, 2023
One fan wrote that in the midst of all this, a LIV Golfer’s win would be a solid reply:
A LIV win would be fantastic hahaha, meltdown!
— Golfing economist (@brummieTroll) July 21, 2023
Other fans didn’t agree with the post. They commented that LIV Golfers got as much TV as other guys. They even claimed to have seen many LIV Golfers performances on TV, including Smith:
Second straight day?… I watched all of Smiths round yesterday and also some of Brooks…
— leeroy (@leeturnz) July 21, 2023
"Blackout"
Damn near every shot of Cam Smith was shown yesterday. He got almost as much screentime as Siem, which is saying something
— Chuck Daddy (@Avoid_TheClap) July 21, 2023
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Liar. Cam Smith was shown a lot today that I watched. Saw Reed as well. Your liv emotions are clouding your judgment.
— oldgreywolf (@oldgreywolfer) July 21, 2023
What are your thoughts on this controversy? Do you believe that LIV golfers are being ignored by the R&A? Do let us know in the comments below.
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