3 Alarming Implications for LIV Golf as Tiger Woods and His Loyalist Crew Turn Their Backs on the League

The PGA Tour-PIF deal has turned out to be a high-level drama! The two were supposed to finalize their agreement by December 31. Unfortunately, they missed the deadline. It is believed that the agreement between PIF and the American Tour will be finalized before the 2024 Masters. But the latter’s $3 billion deal with SSG has wreaked havoc in the golf world’s mind regarding the amalgamation. Adding fuel to the fire, many PGA Tour pros like Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth, and Justin Thomas have turned their backs on LIV Golf pros!

Where does this bad blood between the golfers lead? Well, three implications can come forward if the golfers of the two leagues continue to stay at odds. Let’s take a look at all of them.

1. The Tiger Woods-led player committee can punish LIV defectors

Recently, Golf Digest claimed via its sources that Woods is against LIV Golf defectors receiving a spotless welcome back to the Tour. With these words, he has joined the club of Spieth, Thomas, and Rickie Fowler. Thomas recently said many players “made sacrifices” and “would have a hard time” accepting if LIV players returned spot-free.

Fowler has commented in the past about the blame-free return of LIV Golf players. He said, “They made decisions — there has to be something for it. Whether how small or big, that’s not up to me.” While it may not be in the hands of Fowler, it could be in the hands of Tiger Woods and Spieth as they hold a position of power in the PGA Tour.

The two of them are the Player Directors on the PGA Tour’s policy board and have a strong influence over any decision made. Their position on the PGA Tour means they can pave the way for stringent punishments for LIV Golf defectors.

2. Factions forming inside the PGA Tour

There will be some factions on the PGA Tour who will not feel the same way as the group above. The embers of this conflict are getting hot, as Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth recently clashed over the PGA Tour-PIF merger. This clash between the Tiger Woods-led player committee members signals a bad omen for the merger talks.

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During a press conference at Pebble Beach, Spieth viewed the investment from SSG as an edge over the PIF. He openly stated that PIF should consider “coming in on terms that our members like and/or the economic terms are at or beyond SSGs.” But McIlroy did not agree with these views. He claimed the Saudis wouldn’t be happy to hear about such criticism from a player director.

3. The PGA Tour-PIF merger can land in jeopardy over the views of Tiger Woods and others

Interestingly, Spieth replaced McIlroy on the PGA Tour Policy Board after his resignation. So, it looks like the people considering a penalty for returning golfers are in the majority.

This also carries serious implications for the future of the merger. If PIF feels that players who join LIV Golf will be punished for returning, they might back out. However, it will depend on what stance the PGA Tour takes on all this.

Do you think the players who defected will make a hassle-free return to the Tour? Let us know in the comments below!

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