The golf world was divided into two with the emergence of LIV in 2021, which saw many PGA Tour pros change their allegiance from the PGA Tour to the rebel league. On top of that, the PIF-funded league was not welcomed with open arms by many in the golf world, and to this day, many golf lovers still disapprove of the Greg Norman-led league.

This disapproval was very evident through recent comments from netizens as the breakaway league heads to the Centurion Club for LIV Golf UK. The Open Championship wrapped up not so long ago at Royal Troon. In a field of 156 players, only a handful of LIV golfers—18 to be precise—competed, but their performance did not make a significant impact. And the netizens took note of that!

Jon Rahm delivered the best performance among the LIV golfers. The Spaniard had been struggling at the majors this season but ended his unfortunate run with a commendable score of 1-under 283, securing a spot inside the top 10 at T7.

Jon Rahm finished three strokes ahead of John Catlin, the American golfer, who was the second-best LIV Golf pro at the Royal Troon. With the conclusion of the oldest major, the 33-year-old finished at T16. Unlike Rahm, the Scientist had been delivering phenomenal performances on the major’s greens, including a T6 at the Masters, a runner-up finish at the PGA Championship, and a second major win at the U.S. Open. However, at the last major of the year, Bryson DeChambeau’s form faltered as he failed to make the cut at the oldest major.

The performances from multiple major title holders like Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, and Phil Mickelson were rather lukewarm as well, as they found themselves at T31, T43, and T60, respectively, on the leaderboard. The performance of the LIV Golfers on the Scottish greens once again brought old arguments and conversations about the golfers’ abilities and the league’s general setup into focus.

How did the netizens react to the LIV Golf players’ Royal Troon appearance?

The PGA Tour pros were reportedly offered a huge signing fee for joining the PIF-funded league. As per reports, Bryson DeChambeau was offered $125 million, while Brooks Koepka received $100 million. Leading the list, Jon Rahm joined the Greg Norman-led league after reportedly receiving a staggering signing amount of around $300 million. Alluding to this, a user said, “These guys suck easy to see why they bailed took cash.” Moreover, the LIV events offer a purse of $20 million and $5 million for the solo and team events respectively. 

By saying, “Must of been tough for them playing four rounds, well some of them,” a user hinted that LIV golf events are easy as those consist of only 54- holes in contrast to the 72-hole PGA Tour competition. LIV Golf events are known for spending money for their events. They not only organize events but also concerts, fan competitions, and several other events. A user pointing to this, said, “Just goes to show that playing exhibition golf once a month ain’t going to help you win majors.”

Among all the criticism, some were also in support of the LIV Golfers. Since the inception of LIV Golf, there has been a kind of ‘iron curtain’ between the Saudi-backed and the PGA Tour, owing to many prominent players, including the likes of John Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, and Brooks Koepka, leaving the American circuit for it. Getting fed up with this division of the leagues, a user said, “Can we just get back to calling them all golfers rather than specifying them as LIV or PGA or whatever?”

The lack of representation of LIV golfers at the majors has always sparked debate within the golf community. While none of the LIV pros managed to lift the Claret Jug, eleven of them made it past the cutline, set at 7 over. Meanwhile, many renowned PGA Tour pros also failed to make it to the weekend at Troon, including Tiger Woods. One fan took the opportunity to question the ongoing debate and express their support for the LIV pros, commenting, “How about some of the names from the pga that didn’t make the cut.”

Will LIV golfers ever gain full acceptance from the golf community? Only time will tell.