Reigning Masters champion Jon Rahm hoped his move to leave the PGA Tour for Saudi-backed LIV Golf in December would "expedite the process of bringing the sport back together," but he also knows that it's not his decision to make, according to Paolo Uggetti of ESPN.com. Rahm said, “I understood my position, yes. And I understood that it could be a step toward some kind of an agreement. Unfortunately, it's not up to me." While the sport remains split, Rahm has "remained steadfast in his belief that he made the right decision in switching tours" (ESPN.com, 4/9). BBC.com’s Iain Carter noted Rahm agrees with the notion that if LIV could lure him to their ranks, they are “capable of securing the services of pretty much any leading player and have now proven themselves to be a significant part of the modern golf scene.” Rahm: “That's a well thought out argument. I could be the start of a tipping point in that sense.” He added, "I understood the weight that [my] decision could have and the impact it could have. I understood that perfectly and that's why it wasn't an easy decision.” He added the balance of golf “could be disturbed a little bit” but there are “few active players that could have had a bigger impact than myself in that sense” (BBC.com, 4/7).
ROOM FOR GROWTH? In D.C., Rick Maese writes while there is “more money than ever flowing through the sport,” the dueling pro circuits are “fighting for relevance.” They are “tweaking and overhauling their business models in hopes of unlocking a return on investment,” trying to “funnel unprecedented sums of money to their players while still building profitable businesses.” Meanwhile, a “growing chorus is calling for some form of reconciliation.” Maese noted the sustainability discussion is “two-pronged: Can the sport remain relevant and engaging to fans in its fractured state?” And is the sport “economically viable enough to support the current pace of spending?” Fans have “endured lackluster tournament fields and forgettable Sunday finishes” because the game’s top players “haven’t competed against one another in an individual event since last year’s British Open.” Meanwhile, neither circuit has “seen its biggest stars shine on a weekly basis” -- last weekend’s winners were 22-year-old Akshay Bhatia on the PGA Tour and South African Dean Burmester for LIV -- and the headlines “focus on the off-course intrigue and the sport’s uncertain future” (WASHINGTON POST, 4/10).
A NEEDED BREAK: In S.F., Ron Kroichick wrote this week’s Masters tournament provides a “welcome reprieve from ongoing turmoil in the game.” The PGA Tour’s “endless feud” with LIV, and resulting fields seldom filled with all of the world’s best players, have made golf “infinitely less appealing as a spectator sport.” Kroichick wrote it is “become increasingly difficult to stay engaged with professional golf.” The sport is “most compelling when the top players compete against each other,” and fans “want to see the best golfers playing, not bickering” (S.F. CHRONICLE, 4/9). THE RINGER’s Michael Weinreb writes we are now in April, when we “should be talking about the Masters,” but instead, we are “still ensnared in speculation about various consortiums of ultrarich people hiding behind a jumble of acronyms.” Weinreb: “PIF, SSG -- that don’t mean a damn thing to the vast majority of people who actually watch the sport” (THE RINGER, 4/10).
UNITED FRONT: GOLFWEEK’s Eamon Lynch noted at last week’s LIV tournament in Miami, LIV golfer Byson DeChambeau “demanded reconciliation” in a sport that has been bitterly divided by things like the “now-withdrawn antitrust litigation filed by, um, Bryson DeChambeau.” Lynch noted DeChambeau was reacting to similar comments made by PGA Tour player Rory McIlroy, who has been attempting to “cajole competing interests toward a resolution.” Lynch: “A valid argument can be made that golf would benefit enormously from reunification, that the diffusion of star players between tours is bad for the competitive sport, bad for fans and bad for business. That’s eminently fair. Who has the credibility to make that argument is another matter. ... McIlroy does.” Lynch noted that McIlroy has spent the past few years “advocating for unity, urging his peers to remain under one roof” while acknowledging that significant repairs to that roof are “necessary.” DeChambeau “didn’t do that, though.” Lynch: “He made a decision to cleave the sport for the sole purpose of personal enrichment, and his new-found enthusiasm for a peace agreement is a shameless effort to have others insulate him from the consequences of that decision” (GOLFWEEK, 4/8).
