Top-5 PGA Tour Pros Who Might Try Their LIV Golf Chances After the Big Announcement

From the moment LIV Golf was created, the PGA Tour and them have been enemies of each other. But the $3 billion merger did bring a lot of changes. Not only the tone of the PGA Tour and its players soften, but the American tour even allowed the defectors a chance to play in the Ryder Cup. And now perhaps the biggest news is that this feud has ended.

Apparently, the PGA Tour would not hold back its players from participating in the LIV special event, which is about to happen next week. Though this is just a special event and not a seasonal one, but some PGA Tour players could definitely move that way.

Which players could take a detour towards LIV Golf?

The LIV Tour is about to host its special event of the LIV Tour Q-School in Abu Dhabi in December 2023. The entry in the tour is for other tours rather than just LIV golfers. Players who have previously participated in the Palmer Cup, Walker Cup, Ryder Cup, and the Presidents Cup could also enter. Moreover, the gates of participation are also open to the golfers of the DP World Tour and PGA Tour. This is an important step of friendship that the Saudi Arabia-backed Tour is taking towards its opponents.

And though the golfers of these leagues haven’t made their intentions clear about whether they want to participate in LIV Golf or not, according to sources, the PGA Tour is allowing its members to take part in it. According to Irish Golfer, a tour spokesman for the tour released a statement about this situation. “Based on the information publicly available regarding the LIV Golf Promotion event, it is determined to be a qualifying event only and not a part of an unauthorized series. Therefore, the LIV Golf Promotion event is not categorized as an ‘Unauthorized Tournament. This classification is subject to change should the details of the event change.”

And in such is the case then there are a few names that could definitely participate. and first on that list is Jon Rahm. This week, the Spaniard pulled out of the upcoming TGL without any public announcement and then released a tweet to clear his stance. He wrote in the tweet, “I am sad to confirm that I will not be participating in the first TGL season. While I still think it’s a great opportunity, right now it would require a level of commitment that I can’t offer. Best of luck to everyone involved and may the best team win!” LIV could definitely try to lure him their way.

Next on the list is Viktor Hovland. Like Rahm, Hovland too is not playing in TGL. Though Hovland himself did not make it clear why he is not participating in the league, rumor has it that he compared the schedule to his next year’s PGA Tour schedule and the two overlapped. And Hovland didn’t want to mix things up, hence he didn’t catch the TGL bus. But the 25-year-old has incredible talent and many achievements to boast of. He could take a detour towards the rival LIV Golf league.

Also Read – As ‘No Hat’ Patrick Cantlay Sparks Controversy, 4x Ryder Cup Veteran Paints a Definite Picture of ‘Split’ Locker Room Rumors

The third name on the list is Patrick Cantlay, who has had some big milestones in the last couple of months. In October 2023, he got married. But before that, he stirred quite a controversy when he refused to wear a cap at the Ryder Cup. When asked the reason, he made it clear that he wanted to be paid for his participation. “I’ll wear a hat when I’m paid to be here,” he said. Later, Sky Sports reporter Jamie Weir tweeted: “Understand from several sources that the US team room is fractured, a split led predominantly by Patrick Cantlay. Cantlay believes players should be paid to participate in the Ryder Cup, and is demonstrating his frustration at not being paid by refusing to wear a team cap.” The golfer could take a look at all the money that LIV Golf is offering.

Xander Schauffele is the fourth name on the list. His case is similar to Cantlay’s. Schauffele, too, wanted monetary compensation for the service he was providing at the Ryder Cup. He too, could be lured by the big cheque of the Saudi league.

The final name on this list is that of Rickie Fowler. Though the orange crush of fans has stuck to the PGA Tour for a long time now, the rumors of his joining the rival team were circulated when LIV Golf was created. Now that the restrictions from the PGA Tour are off, he too could consider LIV.

Though this is only a qualifier, if any of these players wishes to stay for the entire season on the other side, it remains to be seen what exactly would happen.

Watch this story – With merely two weeks left for the Ryder Cup team USA’s Patrick Cantlay has yet to leave his tainted masters’ footprints behind