PGA Tour pro Keith Mitchell has spoken of his fears for the future and the impact the launch of LIV Golf will have on golf long term.
The 2019 Honda Classic winner is very much a PGA Tour man, but that doesn’t stop his mind constantly whirring when it comes to LIV Golf and its impact on the game.
“I wake up thinking about it, I go to bed thinking about it – it’s legitimately all I think about,” he told Golf Digest. “These guys going over are taking money away from golf. If they have 14 events, they’re gonna go against the 14 weakest fields on the PGA Tour. Why would sponsors of the PGA Tour keep funneling all this money if they’re going to have trash fields? I think it could hurt sponsors, it could hurt overall income of the game. More money going to less players.
“The more this drags out, the more people are picking sides. Before this was all going down, everyone just kind of talked about it. What’s the format? Who’s going to go? It was honestly a naive rumour that guys were interested in. It piqued their curiosity. And now the clearer it gets, the more guys are picking sides.”
Mitchell says all the rumours over who is and isn’t going are not helping, even hearing about offers he has supposedly received.
“I had one of my biggest sponsors call me on the phone and tell me he heard I got $61million,” he continued. “I asked him what his source was, and it was actually pretty good. Reputable sources are saying these complete fabrications. An exact number and years. I’ve never even talked to the guys.”
A number of players who have left for LIV Golf have taken parting shots at the PGA Tour, but Mitchell has sought his own answers and come to very different conclusions. Having had a conversation with a player director on the PGA Tour’s policy board, Mitchell is happy that there is nothing in the criticisms leveled by those heading for the exit.
Mitchell told Golf Digest: “I asked him all these questions and he told me he walked into being a board member thinking the Tour was holding out on us. Two and a half years…
..
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Golf Monthly RSS Feed…