With social media and creators being on the uprise, LIV Golf decided to host The Duels. It had to put up with the trend, right? The Duels is a new type of competition that would put one creator with one LIV Golf pro at Miami’s Trump National Doral golf course. But the PGA Tour did not like this initiative one bit, it seems, as Flushing It then reported something shocking.

“The PGA Tour reached out to creators involved with LIV Golf’s “The Duels” and threatened them with potential future suspensions if they participated in the unsanctioned event, in line with the rules for non-members who play full LIV Golf League tournaments. The creators pushed back; however, the threats of sanctions have been dropped,” he wrote. Lee Westwood later confirmed the claims with a simple “It’s true” remark. Now, just a few hours before the event, Phil Mickelson is also chipping in, and has confirmed the allegations.

When Pro Golf Critic wrote on X, “Deleted my tweet about the YT creators at the request of ppl material to the events. Let’s hope sufficient pressure is applied so that these creators can enjoy the FREEDOM to create great content on ALL Tours so that we can enjoy their great content without fear of retribution!”  The creators do deserve freedom. They should be able to work with any one Tour or maybe both, as they bring a fresh perspective to fans. To this post, one person replied that the tweet was deleted because it was “proven wrong”, but then Lefty chimed in.

“You were absolutely correct. An email was sent threatening to ban all creators if they participated. They rescinded that threat to all creators EXCEPT Wes Bryan. They still banned him for a year,” he wrote. Many expected the reason behind this move was to take control of the golfing community. So, yeah, the mail was sent but was later retracted, not Bryan’s. Apparently, he has been banned from the PGA Tour for a year. Bryan, as a creator, decided to take part in the event, but it was against the rules of being a PGA Tour pro.

Some reports also revealed that the PGA Tour is partnering with independent media and influencer outlets behind the scenes. The reason for doing so is not yet confirmed, but it certainly raises questions about the integrity of golf journalism. The media outlets are usually committed to the organizations they are working for. If there is any type of partnership, the narrative will be built in a way that the PGA Tour wants, and not what fans want.

The rivalry between the two has been ongoing since 2022. While some are waiting for the PGA Tour-PIF merger to happen, moves like these raise the question of whether it will actually happen. Speaking of the merger, LIV Golf’s CEO also recently confirmed that he is OK without the $3 billion deal, but Donald Trump in Miami said otherwise. While the drama continues, the shocking reaction wasn’t limited to pros like Mickelson or Westwood being surprised, but fans also expressed their frustration.

Fans do not like the PGA Tour’s recent move

“Absolutely awful. How can anyone be ok with this? Really terrible, and I hope this gets a lot more attention,” commented one fan. Back in 2022, Jay Monahan suspended 17 golfers from PGA Tour events for joining LIV and banned them from competing in the events. Later, the Tour was under scrutiny from Department of Justice investigators who were looking into whether pros had violated competition laws by penalizing golfers for joining a rival league. Alluding to the same, another frustrated fan wrote, “What a d**k move from PGA.” Highlighting that reputed orgs like the PGA Tour are resorting to tactics like these, and there is nobody to take action on this right now.

“The creators should email back and threaten to ban the PGA and all PGA players from their socials,” wrote one person. However, it’s tough for the likes of George and Wesley Bryan. The Bryan Brothers are part of the PGA Tour’s Creator Council, and they are also planning to participate in “The Duels.” This is an awkward situation for them. Even the Golf Podcast hosts raised the question and asked, “Are they going to be the only two individuals on Earth who get to walk that line between the two tours and have no consequence to it?” 

“PGA Tour loves to meddle in someone else’s business with the excuse that they are protecting theirs. But the reality is that they are breaking all sorts of antitrust and tort laws. Going after YouTubers’ businesses is definitely a new low for the PGA Tour,” wrote another. In 2022, Greg Norman also talked about the same.

He wrote a letter to Jay Monahan saying, “When you try to bluff and intimidate players by bullying and threatening them, you are guilty of going too far, being unfair, and you likely are in violation of federal law,” as revealed in the New York magazine. As per Norman, golfers are free to go wherever they want. This time, the fan is talking about the same for YouTubers and content creators. Expressing similar emotions, another netizen added, “This would be absurd, honestly.” 

How do you think the move by the PGA Tour will affect professional golf? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below!