LIV Golf opened its season final month in Mexico.
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The PGA Tour’s latest changes, one professional says, could as an alternative change LIV Golf.
“Have been thinking a bit about these latest PGAT changes and what it could mean for LIV,” Eddie Pepperell tweeted Saturday. “And I’ve concluded that I think it might embolden them.”
Pepperell’s remark, together with an eight-tweet clarification, comes after the Tour revealed this week a collection of strikes as a part of its struggle towards LIV, the Saudi-backed collection that has attracted a number of professionals and is now in its second season. Among the changes, the Tour will play eight designated occasions subsequent 12 months with no reduce, and solely 50 gamers — the highest 50 from the prior 12 months’s year-long standings — will probably be assured spots in these occasions.
That restricted entry was Pepperell’s concern. Pros exterior the 50 will nonetheless have alternatives to make the big-money designated tournaments — however a proposal from LIV, which performs all of its occasions with simply 48 gamers and no reduce, could now turn out to be extra engaging, he wrote.
“Next year, effectively 98 players across both LIV and the PGAT are guaranteed to be playing for a LOT of money!” Pepperell tweeted. “And much more than everybody else. We know the 48 on LIV will probably be mounted (which is only one cause why it sucks). The PGAT can have some entry in as we all know..
“If nonetheless, and I’m going to use him for instance due to his present PGAT rating and profile, Tyrell Hatton finishes the place he’s at present ranked on FedEx, do you assume he’s now roughly probably to think about a proposal from LIV? Given he gained’t be in subsequent years PGAT high 50.
“There will be some very good players with high profiles who won’t finish this season in the top 50 on the FedEx. So if they want to *ensure* they are playing for the top dollars, they will likely give LIV more consideration, IMO.”
On his Twitter thread, Pepperell additionally wrote that the strikes could improve LIV’s argument to obtain world-ranking factors for its occasions, and that gamers would have “even less to lose by signing for LIV.” Both collection would now be taking part in smaller-field, no-cut occasions, although as GOLF’s Sean Zak defined this week, the Tour’s tournaments will make up about 20-25% of the PGA Tour’s annual schedule load, whereas LIV occasions embrace the field-and-cut options throughout the board.
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Pepperell’s feedback adopted one other thread he shared this week in response to the Tour’s changes. That one was a reduce appreciation. For background, in a four-event stretch in 2018, Pepperell was DQ’d for signing an incorrect scorecard on the BMW International Open and missed the reduce on the Irish Open — earlier than ending second on the Scottish Open advert sixth on the Open Championship. Then, the subsequent 12 months, he performed within the WGC-Mexico Championship and the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational, each no-cut occasions.
“In mid 2018, I bogeyed the last hole in back to back events in Germany and Ireland to M/C by 1 shot,” Pepperell wrote. “It killed me. I went house, considered s**t, after which got here 2nd on the Scottish Open and (practically) gained the Open at Carnoustie (with a hangover..)
“A 12 months on in 2019, thanks partially to these two good performances in Scotland, I recall taking part in poorly in each the WGC’s in Mexico and Memphis, and never caring about something throughout the last spherical.
“Missing cuts is important for progress as knowledgeable golfer.
“We could argue that the highest guys who will probably be taking part in the elevated occasions in 2024 have already carried out all their ‘growing’. But you’d be stunned how a lot it means to make a reduce when your backs up towards the wall and also you’re struggling. It’s a mini win, and it breeds nice issues.
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“So whether or not it’s LIV or now the PGA Tour, as somebody who has performed competitively for years now, eradicating the reduce is likely one of the worst issues to occur to the sport within the final 12 months.
“Rant over.”
In his newest thread, Pepperell ended it this manner:
“I *assume* the PGAT had the momentum and the chance to depart LIV for useless subsequent 12 months by merely doing what it’s doing this 12 months; providing up tons of cash to all the fellows on the PGAT. But by making an attempt to enrich the highest guys much more, I feel they’ve opened themselves up..
“to the chance that in 2024 they could properly lose some excessive profile, superb golfers to LIV, who simply didn’t have their greatest 2023.
“Just some ideas. Don’t shout at me, I do know I’ve most likely missed one thing.
“Happy weekend.”
