It’s September 3! Exciting times for those who are eagerly awaiting the captain’s pick of the upcoming President’s Cup. However, it would be an equally disappointing time for those who wanted LIV Golf Pros in the biennial event. Mike Weir, the skipper of the International Team had once divulged the same; “They are not going to be eligible.”

A tweet, meanwhile, was shared on X by the handle of NUCLR GOLF, mentioning the same. It divulged how the “Presidents Cup International Team Captain Mike Weir will be making his captains picks” on September 3 at 1 PM, per reports from Bob Weeks, a TSN reporter.

The post also pointed out the ineligibility of the players from the Saudi-backed league, owing to the prestigious tournament being a PGA Tour-run one. Back in March, the 54-year-old captain had disclosed how he had a meeting with the circuit regarding the issue.

“I guess the flip side is they knew that when they left,” added Weir, “That they weren’t gonna be part of that. I think some of that’s one of the reasons some guys struggled with going because they loved it so much and they want to be part of it.” Anyhow, with the post recalling the exclusion of the golfers, it also managed to send the internet into a fervor.

Mike Weir’s President’s Cup decision throws the community into a frenzy

Back in April, Rory McIlroy had pointed out how the ratings of the PGA Tour were down by a huge margin this season. “If you look at the TV ratings of the PGA TOUR this year,” said the Northern Irishman, “They’re down 20 percent across the board. That’s a fifth, that’s big.” He also mentioned how people are getting really fatigued with the whole fighting between the Tours and the players; “It’s turning people off men’s professional golf, and that’s not a good thing for anyone.” 

It’s not hard to figure out the same while looking at the numbers. The final round of the Valspar Championship experienced a 27% dip when compared to 2023 while the Mexico Open also witnessed fewer viewers than last year. A couple of fans alluded to the same and predicted how it would happen again at the President’s Cup; “The PGAT is diminishing their own event ratings will be down,” and “What about the fans? Need to see the best golfers compete regardless of tour. Figure it out PGA viewership declining sponsorship not too far behind.”

Interestingly, although Mike Weir had announced how the LIV golfers wouldn’t be playing, he also expressed his desire for the best athletes to take part in the event. “Certainly I want the best players internationally to be playing in this,” conveyed the skipper as he exuded optimism for the 2026 President’s Cup, “Hopefully we come to a point that they are. It’s just an unfortunate situation that we’re in right now.” Even a couple of the PGA Tour loyalists were a bit disappointed as to how the entire situation turned out for they commented, “I’m a PGAtour guy, but this is total BS!” and “That’s a damn shame”

On the other hand, there were loyalists who felt having no LIV Golf Pros in the President’s Cup was the way to go. One responded that it “Should be pretty competitive without [Cameron] Smith, [Joaquin] Niemann, Louis [Oosthuizen], Dean [Burmester], [Abraham] Ancer, [Carlos] Ortiz, and [Marc] Leishman.” Another fan, at the same time, expressed their desire to watch just Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau play on the U.S. squad as they commented, “American team will be fine without LIV players but certainly could use Bryson and Brooks.” 

Much to everyone’s surprise, DeChambeau had shot himself to popularity by 2024 using his content despite having a not-so-friendly image back in 2020-2021, especially during his defection. The scenes at the 2024 U.S. Open and the PGA Championship where the LIV golfer saw thousands supporting him spoke volumes about his rise.

Even though the ‘Scientist’ became successful in making the fans desire to see him at the 2024 President’s Cup, the reality remains far from ideal. But they can always remain optimistic as the merger between the PIF and the PGA Tour in the coming year or the one following it may help them remedy the situation. Don’t you think so as well?