The potential merger between the PGA Tour and the Saudi Public Investment Fund, backers of LIV Golf, is uncertain.
Golfer Scottie Scheffler believes those who left for LIV Golf shouldn’t be welcomed back easily.
“You had some guys that left our Tour and then sued our Tour,” Scheffler said. “That wasn’t really in great taste.”
“Then you had some other guys that just left and they wanted to do something different. Everybody made their own decision, and I have no bad blood toward the guys that left. But a path towards coming back, I think it wouldn’t be a very popular decision, I think, if they just came back like nothing ever happened.”
However, Rory McIlroy, who initially opposed LIV Golf, now advocates for allowing players to return.
“I think life is about choices,” McIlroy said. “Guys made choices to go and play LIV, guys made choices to stay here. If people still have eligibility on this tour, and they want to come back and play, or you want to try and do something, let them come back.”
“It would be much better being together and moving forward together for the good of the game. That’s my opinion of it. So to me, the faster that we can all get back together and start to play and start to have the strongest fields possible I think is great for golf,” he said.
The departure of high-profile players, such as Jon Rahm, has sparked debate.
“It’s hard to sit here and criticize Jon because of what a great player he is and the experiences I’ve had with him,” McIlroy said.
Scheffler emphasized loyalty to the PGA Tour, suggesting a conditional return for those who left.
“We remained loyal to a Tour, a Tour that was loyal to us,” Scheffler said.
“I built my entire career here on the PGA Tour, and I wasn’t willing to leave it. I dreamt of playing on this Tour. Some of the guys that left, maybe that wasn’t for them. But I think if they want a pathway back, that there should be one, but it definitely shouldn’t just be coming back in the first week they want to come back and play.”
“There should be some sort of caveat to them getting back on our Tour.”
The future of golf remains uncertain if the merger doesn’t happen, despite a recent $3 billion investment in the Tour.
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