Earlier this month I wrote a column, sparked by a few emails from readers, asking a simple question: Is the battle between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf causing some people to lose interest in golf and turn off their television sets?
That piece was enough to cause a flood of emails from fans, or former fans, of golf to echo what the first few emailers had said. The fighting, the defections for massive money and the split of top players into two tours have caused them to reconsider their love of the professional game. And they insist there is plenty of blame to go around.
In relaying some of those comments, two things must be made clear. First, some of the language was softened a bit to make it more palatable for print or even the internet. Second, I’d be happy to present the emails in support of the LIV Tour and what Greg Norman, Phil Mickelson and Jon Rahm are doing with that tour, but I honestly didn’t receive a single email praising LIV and its mission. Quite the opposite, in fact, though the PGA Tour didn’t escape criticism, either.
Ruth is one of the fans who no longer sees golf as an enjoyable television experience.
“Over the past few years, my TV has been hard-wired to Golf Channel as an escape from the news of our horrible politics,” she emailed. “Watching golf now just adds to the stress, as a reminder of how difficult our world has become; it is far from the enjoyable refuge it once was.”
Rich from Virginia said he’s stopped watching as much PGA Tour golf because the pros have proven to be petulant and greedy like athletes in other sports. But he also has a strong dislike for players who have jumped to LIV.
“It’s many of the others that have jumped to LIV that irk me the most – and are making me lose interest. Someone once said a man is only as good as his word, and I firmly believe that. That thought clearly renders DJ (Dustin Johnson), Rahm, and anyone else who swore allegiance to the PGA Tour only to change their mind when the money outweighed their integrity, as not good men,” Rich wrote. “Growing the game” is nothing more than a BS script that they are made to say, likely under legal – and maybe physical – threat.”
Eric is another reader who laments the greed of the modern player. While it is important to remember that pros are professionals because they play for money, Eric still sees problems with so much money today.
“I know the PGA Tour is in a tough place but I know I don’t really care about LIV and…
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Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Golfweek…