Fred Couples final month on the Boeing Classic.
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Fred Couples, one of many extra vocal critics of LIV Golf, says he’s not sure what the league’s still-to-be-determined future might imply for professional golf.
In an interview this week on CNBC’s Closing Bell — which you can watch here — the favored professional and 1992 Masters winner additionally defined why he’s attacked the Saudi-backed tour over the previous 12 months. But Couples additionally puzzled about LIV, in gentle of a lately proposed coming collectively between its backer, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, and the PGA Tour.
Would LIV stay, following a year-plus struggle with the Tour? That is nonetheless to be determined, at the least publicly. An agreement between the sides says solely “a full and objective empirical data-driven evaluation of LIV and its prospects and potential” would be undertaken, and within the time because the proposal was introduced, Tour officers have principally caught to that line. But ought to LIV fold, there’s additionally the query of its gamers, lots of whom left the Tour for big, assured contracts and have been subsequently punished by their former sequence for exiting.
There, the settlement says “PIF, the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour will work cooperatively and in good faith to establish a fair and objective process for any players who desire to re-apply for membership with the PGA Tour or the DP World Tour following the completion of the 2023 season,” and Tour officers have additionally been mum on what that course of might seem like. Couples, although, is curious.
For readability, right here is the change he had with host Scott Wapner.
“Do you hope it [the proposed agreement] doesn’t happen?” Wapner requested.
“I never thought it [LIV Golf] would happen,” Couples stated. “I by no means thought they might get off the bottom, however I assume when you’ve got — I’m not even good sufficient to determine what number of billions — you will get individuals to comply with the cash. I don’t know if it’s going to go away. Again, Scott, that’s one other nice query.
“I’m so old that I don’t — I pay attention to every golfer that plays on the PGA Tour, but if it goes away, is that going to be good? I don’t know if that’s going to be good or not. Can we intertwine? I’m not smart enough to figure that out. I’m sure they will try and do something.”
At this level within the CNBC interview, Couples famous Brooks Koepka, a LIV participant who’s enjoying subsequent week within the Ryder Cup, the place Couples will be a vice-captain.
“But we do have Brooks Koepka on the Ryder Cup team — he’s not really a PGA Tour player and every player on that team wanted him, so we still have some nice feelings about the LIV guys,” Couples stated on CNBC. “But would I want to see it go away? It doesn’t matter to me really anymore if — their tour is set, they have their 48 guys, I don’t think any new guys have joined in five or six months, so it is what it is.”
This professional acquired kicked off LIV. Now that he’s again, will others comply with his path?
Dylan Dethier
The CNBC feedback comply with a flurry of ideas from Couples on LIV.
There have been his ideas final June to GOLF’s Alan Bastable, with a headline entitled “‘I’m done with it:’ Fred Couples dismisses LIV Golf, Phil Mickelson.” About a month later, there was extra from Couples, with GOLF’s headline on these feedback studying “‘I’m glad they’re gone’: Fred Couples’ latest LIV roast targets Tour critics, Greg Norman.” And a few month later, there was extra nonetheless, with this GOLF headline saying, “Fred Couples’ LIV attack continues with thought on … birthdays and weddings.”
But why the barrage in any respect?
Over the previous 12 months, Couples has defined that, and on Closing Bell, Couples defined once more, although right here he was reflective. For readability once more, right here is the entire change, began by Wapner.
“I don’t think it’s news to anybody you’ve been one of the most popular players on tour for an awfully long time, well before you even won the Masters in ’92. So when you speak, people listen to what you have to say, and you’ve been one of the most outspoken players, I think, about the LIV tour and the future of that relationship with the PGA Tour. I’m wondering: What was your first reaction when you heard of this potential deal between LIV and the PGA Tour?”
“You know, what a question,” Couples began. “And I’ve answered it the identical each single time. It impacts the PGA Tour immensely. But actually what affected me is how these guys leaving — not all of them; a few of them; I shouldn’t even say 5 of them — have been speaking concerning the PGA Tour, how unhealthy of a tour it was, how incorrect it was, how they’re higher off enjoying within the LIV tour. I’ve spent — this is my forty third 12 months on the PGA Tour. I symbolize it the perfect I can. I’ve performed a very long time. The Champions Tour, Scott, as you already know, is nice.
“But it just offended me that — go play your golf, go play in your 54-hole events — we all know that’s funny to talk about. And sometimes I felt bad about what I said. But you know when I talked to other people, I really don’t think I said anything horrific — I just reacted to what some of the guys that left said. Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson — I don’t talk to Dustin that much, but Brooks, I’ve kept in touch since this Ryder Cup thing, [and] we laugh every other day about stuff. And I have no qualms with 99 percent of the guys. It affects the Tour. I’m no longer on that tour, but what affected me is just the things they had to say.”
Editor’s observe: To watch the entire Closing Bell interview with Fred Couples, please click here.
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