If evidence is required of just how fraught emotions have become in the battle between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf—or, more accurately, between Tour players and LIV’s patsy plaintiffs—then consider the example of Davis Love III. Throughout his almost 40-year career, Love has been the epitome of a genteel professional golfer, unfailingly polite toward colleagues and so buttoned-down that his idea of a revolutionary act is wearing pants of an off-khaki hue.
Suddenly, the establishment’s ideal of a company man has morphed into Davis le rouge, an Ocasio-Cortez in Ralph Lauren pinstripes, encouraging boycotts from a constituency that usually only cares about slow play and high taxes, while insisting that no LIV player will darken the door of his Presidents Cup team room, even if declared eligible by fait of the court.
And he’s not even the angriest guy out there.
Finally, we’ve reached the inevitable point at which the PGA Tour’s carefully-constructed tapestry of collegiality comes apart at the seams. That image was always less organic than enforced, with disciplinary actions against players who spoke ill publicly of a fellow member. The intent was to create a commercially attractive impression of golf as being free of jerks, cheats, cokeheads, wifebeaters and other blackguards. That facade held through the early defections to LIV, as Tour loyalists insisted they’d remain friends with the departed. But in the wake of Wednesday’s legal filings by LIV players— one an injunction request that would force three of them into the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup Playoffs, the other an antitrust claim that challenges the Tour’s supposed monopoly—the fissures are expanding rapidly.
“Their vision is cherry-picking what events they want to play on the PGA Tour. Obviously, that would be the higher world ranking events and bigger purses,” said a visibly irked Billy Horschel. “It’s frustrating. They made a decision to leave and they should go follow their employer. I know there are guys a lot more angry and frustrated about it than me.”
“What they’re doing by going over there is detrimental to our Tour. You can’t have it both ways,” said Will Zalatoris. “A lot of guys will be pretty frustrated if they’re allowed to do both.”
“Please stay away in your fantasy land,” tweeted Joel Dahmen.
The increasing fractiousness is unsurprising. It’s tough to remain pals with the roommate who moved to a sumptuous new mansion but…
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