The majors are also run by organizations that are considered custodians of the game. They probably don’t think LIV was/is good for the sport, and so they aren’t going out of their way to incentivize players to take the money bag and go to LIV. I really don’t think the PGA Tour is on weekly calls making sure all the major orgs are still on board with them.
If the majors didn’t play hard ball maybe more players would have gone to LIV, and pro golf would be even more of a mess than it currently is.
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Also, again, nobody is kicking Niemann out of majors. He isn’t qualified. Big difference.
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Not really a big difference to me. Because my view is to try and get the best fields at the best tournaments. What the majors seem to have tried to do is to help the PGA Tour by taking away the single biggest incentive in golf (PGA play leads to major qualification while LIV doesn’t). They have gotten involved in the battle between the two biggest leagues instead of trying to put best golfers in fields to give us best events.
My goal is to watch the best golfers play best events
I mean they let them set up on the range. I do consider that a partner
If that is your goal to watch the best field play a tournament then why do you support LIV. That seems pretty counterintuitive
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I like LIV because the PGA Tour had become incredibly stale and bloated. The schedule was quite random, points race not really existent, and way too many people held cards and made starts. Competition is always a good thing and the PGA has improved product massively. I like seeing more high level golf and I love the presentation of LIV (graphics, scoring, amount of golf shown) and loved the team idea (though they haven’t quite nailed it down as well as it could be)
Plus there is just more high level golf to watch now. And the rivalry storyline adds a bunch to majors
The thing is, I agree with a lot of what you’re saying. I, too, want to see LIV guys in Majors (the ones that will show up, that is).
However, I think the Majors committees (and Ryder Cup, I think?) have done a good job of simply forgetting about all the shit and inviting good players to their tournaments. I mean, about 20% of LIV is in Majors no?
And you state that your goal is to watch the best possible field in Majors, while defending a guy that has added absolutely no value to every major he’s ever played in. It’s a bit contradictory.
At this point, if we built a LIV-players rankings for their performance in Majors since LIV started, with points or SG or whatever, pretty sure Niemann is one of the most disappointing LIV guys in majors. Make that relative to these guys’ baseline and it’s even worse for Joaco. So …What justifies inviting him over Dean B if Dean B has a better chance of showing up and actually do something? What good does it do to the US Open that Niemann won in Hong Kong if he’s gonna be just a guy in every major?
Niemann’s performances on LIV where half the guys are bums (relative to top level pro golf, of course) and half the others simply dgaf aren’t enough anymore. If he wants to take the Majors off and chill at the venue, he can come back on DPWT/PGA and qualify. If he wants to keep getting paid to beat Ben Campbell and Anthony Kim, he can let another guy enjoy the Majors in his place.
Let me repeat. I am totally in favor of LIV Guys in Majors …but the Niemann thing is tiring. Give the chance to others unless Niemann finally shows some life.
You seem more interested on hammering your point that Niemann is a world class player, defending him at all costs and blaming anybody but LIV, than having an interesting discussion. So that will be it for me, we can agree to disagree here. Let’s hope Niemann shoots a 66 to a backdoor T-10 so we can stop doing this everytime it’s getting tiring
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You are not in favor of LIV guys at majors if you are not in favor of Niemann. He was player of year and then 2nd last year.
And no, the majors have not set up auto qualifiers for LIV which would be needed to make sure LIV good players make it in
Brother I have to be the one to just call it like it is: you’re delusional. The contingent who left the PGA left for a big fat paycheck at the hands of the Saudis accept everything that comes as a result of it. Blame them or don’t blame them for their choice, but this is not little kids in the school yard choosing cliques. They made their bed and they can lie in it.
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I am talking from point of view as a fan of golf and the majors, not the PGA Tour. Almost everyone who gets heated over this speak as a fan of the PGA Tour. I think it was a terribly structured,
Bloated and lazy product when they left and what’s happened has broadly been good for the game.
What’s also good for the game is one of biggest leagues with many great players having its players automatically qualify for majors. How is that debatable at all? Unless you are trying to pressure LIV to give in it doesn’t make any sense
It doesn’t have anything to do with the Saudis for me really other than they finance it. They will finance the PGAT soon and none of you will quit being fans of it then
Guess you should cancel your sub since it’s you versus us, and you hate the product?
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It’s debatable because you are being short-sighted. In a vacuum, do we all want the best fields in the majors? Sure. But if the majors had quickly decided to give LIV 5 or 10 spots starting in 2023 or 2024, more guys would have made the switch, and we’d have more guys playing in irrelevancy apart from 4 times per year. I don’t think the Masters wants to help LIV. It’s not pressure from the PGAT; you honestly think the Green Coats at Augusta are taking direction from the tour about how to set their field? C’mon, that’s ridiculous, Augusta National is probably the most powerful body in pro golf, I don’t think they are listening to anybody.
Also the reality is that the majors have still managed to get everyone into the majors that needs to be there. Could you make an argument for some guys on LIV to be in? Yes. You could also make an argument for some PGAT guys who aren’t in. But it’s not like there is an asterisk on this event because Dean B and Carlos Ortiz aren’t playing.
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I broadly agree here, but that’s more because LIV’s best players are still eligible from leftover qualifications or special exemptions. Rahm, hatton, Bryson, Sergio, reed, koepka all have qualifications from the past and Niemann has got in other ways. The problem is still there in that great play on LIV is not being rewarded.
And yes, it does work in a way by taking away the number one incentive to making LIV events relevant. You say the league is irrelevant, I kind of understand it, but if top 10 LIV golfers made majors it would be relevant! The relevancy can be given immediately by the majors, PGA is only more relevant because they qualify for majors (and now have a quicker relegation system which LIV would likely adopt if it had those major slots…right now it seems they are being super coddling to original signees because they haven’t got the major qualification system yet).
The reasons may be different as you say, but I don’t see what majors get out of being so punitive toward LIV. It’s the only way to keep it from being established strongly or giving it leverage in negotiations. The majors have treated LIV exactly how PGAT needs them to
I love the product, I just found the tone of blog bitter
Bashing LIV lends more credibility to an outlet. Falling for the sportswashing casts doubt.
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These guys all have a path to qualify for the Open majors. They can go try and win qualifiers if they are as good as you think they are.
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Following up on this. This is because they are partners with AT&T (Pebble’s sponsor).
I doubt they get invited to host a show without PGA approval. And doing a pre show at a PGA event vs LIV kind of shows which league they support