‘Don’t Really Consider Those Guys…’: Amid the PGA Tour-LIV Golf Rivalry, Jack Nicklaus Spits Truth About the Breakaway League Players

Amid the ongoing debate between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour, the PGA Tour is heading this week to the Memorial Tournament. The Memorial Tournament is one of the most significant events on the PGA Tour. Many prominent golfers take part in this. But ever since LIV Golf, a Saudi-backed circuit, entered the scene, a number of players have shifted to the new tour, abandoning their highly valued PGA Tour records. This caused controversy in the golfing world, and these players faced a lot of backlash for their choice from well-known players, including Jack Nicklaus

’The Golden Bear’ has a reputation for expressing his ideas unambiguously. He once again upheld that reputation this time as well. Let’s find out what he had to say about the LIV golf players.

Nicklaus gets brutally honest

The Memorial Tournament 2023 is being hosted this week at the Muirfield Village Golf Club by one of golf’s all-time greats, Jack Nicklaus. Two of the most recent winners of a major championship will not be competing, including 2022 Open champion Cameron Smith, and three-time PGA Championship winner, Brooks Koepka. These golfers can no longer compete on the PGA Tour as a result of joining LIV Golf.

At the press conference ahead of the tournament, Nicklaus was asked whether he was going to miss Koepka and Smith on the field or not. But the six-time Green Jacket winner did not hesitate and bluntly replied that he doesn’t consider those players a part of the game anymore. According to him, those players who choose LIV Golf no longer belong in the PGA Tour game. This tournament is all about the PGA Tour and its players, and all the best players are already participating in it, including Hayden Buckley and Sam Burns.

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“I don’t really consider those guys part of the game anymore; and I don’t mean that in a nasty way … or really mean it that way,” said Nicklaus. “To me, this is a PGA Tour event and we’ve got the best field we can possibly have on the PGA Tour. Those who are eligible to be here. The other guys made a choice to go where they went. We don’t really talk about it.”

As a course designer, Nicklaus also talked about the field. He believes that this is the best field, and that the best players in the world will compete in it. Additionally, the preceding days have seen no rain at all, so everything looks good ahead of the tournament. But this is not the first time Nicklaus has given his opinions on the Greg Norman-led series.

Jack Nicklaus took a dig at LIV Golfer

The PGA Tour has likely received the most support from the 18-time major champion. Nicklaus made a sly jab at LIV Golf defectors at the Masters Tournament in April, while talking about his commitment to the PGA Tour. After his first victory at the Masters Tournament, he claimed that the Green Jacket, rather than the cash, was his most prized possession. He was inspired to play golf significantly better as a result.

The most costly golf circuit, LIV Golf, is noted for lavishly investing in its players. But Nicklaus didn’t hold the golfers responsible for switching leagues. It all came down to his preference for money over the league in his eyes.

“I don’t fault the guys who have gone to LIV,” he said. “You have to make a choice, between playing golf for a short period time, for a lot of money, to put away for your family, or do you have the loyalty to play regular golf, then the senior tour and into retirement.”

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What do you think of Nicklaus’ stance on LIV golfers? Let us know in the comments section below.