Lucas Glover Admits PGA Tour ‘Needs’ LIV Golfers, Days After Calling Out Jay Monahan’s ‘Crap’ Policy

The overall golf experience has been hindered since 2022. since LIV’s inception. There has been a rift between the PGA Tour and LIV as the two are just poles apart. The only time we see golfers from both leagues competing (not all though) is at the majors. Now, nobody is saying to allow the golfers to compete fully in the other league, but hey, some more tournaments of the best golfers competing together could not hurt. This is exactly what golfers are highlighting!

In a recent post on SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio, Lucas Glover shared his thoughts on “Should LIV golfers be allowed into Signature Events?” The short answer, per Glover, was YES! Glover shared that the signature event is a top-of-the-line event, and since many top talents like Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, and Jon Rahm are in LIV Golf, it does not quite provide fair competition at the Tour. Involving these big entities would obviously benefit the PGA Tour.

Sharing more on it, he said, “If we’re going to have a for-profit money-making organization, then we’re going to need those guys. And golf needs them too. At the end of the day, golf needs them.” He even said, “The best player in the world needs to be playing. But that shouldn’t limit only them.” Talking more about the benefits of having a strong field, Glover shared that limiting the players to 70-80 would “limit the drama and limit the overall competition.”He focused on expressing how more players could be beneficial for the fans and for the tournaments as well.

Earlier when the PGA Tour shared the solution to the slow play issue on the field, Lucas Glover criticized the move. “It’s terrible,” Glover told Golfweek. “And then hiding behind pace of play, I think challenges our intelligence. They think we’re stupid.” Instead of cutting fields, Glover suggested the Tour should tell players to play fast;  “Tell us to play faster, or just say you’re trying to appease six guys and make them happy so they don’t go somewhere else and play golf.”

Glover’s criticism is not limited to the pace of play issue; he also aims at the Tour’s leadership, led by Commissioner Jay Monahan. “The fact that the PGA Tour is hiding behind the guise of slow play to change these field sizes… that’s complete cr-p,” Glover said. “Tour players, yes, you do affect the people you are playing with and the people behind you. That’s a selfish act. So, speed up.”

Everyone wants golf to be unified

The distress between the two leagues has caused a huge experiential loss for the fans. The only tournaments where most of the top players from both leagues can be seen are the Majors. Everyone, including the players and fans, is vouching for the unification. Other than fans, sharing their views on social media platforms. Players like Rory McIlroy have also shared similar implementations. According to the news shared by the Guardian, McIlroy felt fear of golf being “fractured forever.” Even the chief executive of the DP World Tour, Keith Pelley shared that the unification is inevitable. He shared with the Sunday Times, “Whether it be in six months, a year, two years or 10 years, I think people are coming to the realization that a collective product is in the best interest of global golf.”

Now, as stated by Pelley, it is inevitable but is not going to happen anytime soon. There is a long road to cover before we see players from different leagues at one event. Coming to the signature events, a total of 8 events took place this season, which only featured the top performers of the PGA Tour. The same participation format will be followed for the 2025 season. The names could change, but they would only be limited to the PGA Tour. Do you expect LIV Golf players to participate in signature events as per Lucas Glover’s opinion? Does limited participation hamper the golfing experience according to you? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.