“We’re not going anywhere,” roared Greg Norman last year. Actually he didn’t exactly roar – it was written on a memo – but to anyone familiar with the Shark’s confidence and boldness, those words rang loud and clear. Now LIV’s 54-hole, no-cut format hasn’t appealed to all traditional golf fans – an ‘exhibition’ tournament, many called it. But famed golf coach Tony Ruggiero isn’t one of them. The veteran golf instructor sat for an Exclusive Chat with EssentiallySports recently.

Ruggiero has worked with the 2011 FedEx Cup champion, Bill Haas, 2009 US Open winner, Lucas Glover as well as amateurs and recreational golfers. In fact, one of Ruggiero’s students, Andy Ogletree is now part of Phil Mickelson’s HyFlyers GC. 

Ogletree broke into the PIF-funded circuit via the International Series Order of Merit route. Ogletree was part of the four players who joined LIV Golf on contract last season. The other three entered via the Promotional event route.  

Quizzed on his thoughts on the Saudi-backed league in the Exclusive Interview with EssentiallySports, Tony Ruggiero said, “I think that LIV has done a lot of good for the players. I think the product they’re putting out is very good. Very, very good. I’ve been fortunate to be… go to a bunch of them.”

Since LIV’s inception, the flow of money into golf (and golfers’ pockets) has been generous. The PGA Tour now hosts eight Signature events with a $20M purse, where the winner receives a $4M or a $3.4M paycheck. Scottie Scheffler, the world no.1 golfer, has shattered all records by raking in over $62M in regular season plus bonuses. 

The PGA Tour is currently working towards an agreement with LIV Golf’s financial backer, PIF. While we are quite far removed from the acrimony of 2022, some threads are still tangled up. There is no clarity on how LIV golfers will be allowed back ‘home’. Or, whether all of them will be allowed at all. 

In this current situation, four majors remain the only way to catch a glimpse of the best of both worlds. But Majors too hasn’t been immune from getting mixed up in golf’s civil war. A situation Ruggiero believes must change. 

Tony Ruggiero wants majors to remain above the PGA Tour – LIV Golf tussle

In this year’s major, LIV’s representation shrunk from last year. 13 from the Greg Norman-led circuit entered Augusta down from 18 a year back. 16 teed off in the PGA Championship same as last year, 13 played in the US Open down from 15 in 2023 and only 18 were eligible to make the trip to Royal Troon, three less from last year. 

It’s largely due to dwindling world ranking. LIV golfers don’t receive the OWGR points necessary for automatically qualifying in the majors. Tony Ruggiero believes the major organizer needs to ensure that they are bringing all the best players in the world regardless of the ranking.

“I think there’s got to be a route for the best players that play on LIV and the best players that play in Europe, and the best players to play on [PGA] Tour to earn their way to the major championships,” the veteran coach said in the Exclusive Chat with EssentiallySports. 

Previously, from Bubba Watson to Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson, a host of LIV golfers have called for the major organizers to expand the qualifying criteria. As of now, there is no change in place. Augusta National and the PGA of America decided to extend invitations to the players they deem fit to enter. USGA and R&A have kept the qualifier path open for LIV golfers. 

USGA CEO, Mike Whan, however, hinted that if the two sides fail to broker a deal, USGA is willing to look for a different path for LIV golf pros. The progress of the merger talks has been slow despite sporadic signs of thaw. The PGA Tour and LIV Golf will walk on separate paths in 2025. When a deal finally happens Tony Ruggiero will be one of those fans to breathe a sigh of relief.