PGA Tour and LIV Golf ‘chaos’ as major champion makes concerning statement

The ongoing division between the top powers in golf continues to dominate headlines, with a major winner suggesting the sport may never again present a united front. Former PGA Championship winner Mark Brooks has expressed serious concerns about the current “chaos” in golf. The sport has become increasingly fractured with the emergence of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf League as a significant rival to the PGA Tour. This rivalry has prompted the PGA Tour to implement major changes, including increased prize money and no-cut events, mirroring LIV Golf’s format.

This shift has resulted in a radically altered golf landscape, with some of the sport’s biggest names no longer participating in major tournaments and players being more strategic about their competition choices. The debate over a resolution between the two competing organizations continues, despite an initial agreement to merge in June 2023.

Speaking ahead of this year’s PGA Championship, Brooks—who won the PGA title in 1996—expressed his surprise that a split took so long to occur. As a key figure in the formation of the Tour Players Association, a de facto union in the 1990s, Brooks believes a similar group today could have prevented much of the current turmoil.

“I do think it’s absolute chaos. Putting the pieces back together, putting Humpty Dumpty back on the wall, is going to be pretty tough,” he said. “Guys don’t want to come back. They don’t have a desire to come back.”

LIV Golf continues to attract top talent with its substantial financial offers, with Jon Rahm among the latest to join in December 2023 for a reported sum between £315 million and £470 million. The PGA Tour cannot match these figures, and with Saudi investors pouring vast resources into the sport, the exodus of top players seems likely to continue.

This has led to a diluted average PGA Tour field compared to previous years. Brooks sees some positives in this, suggesting it may make the field more competitive overall.

“Some of these events are, let’s just call it, top 70 shallow,” added Brooks. “Below that they’re heavy. They’re not going into past champions like me. I’m not showing up on the eligibility list, they’re not going that deep. But probably 15 events this year will be very light in terms of the top 70, and you go, ‘Well, does that mean anything?’ Absolutely it means something. Are you kidding me? If I take 62 out of the top 70 out of a field, do I have a better shot of winning? You’re damn right I do.”

Dustin Johnson won the inaugural LIV Golf League title in 2022, followed by Talor Gooch last year. Currently, Chile’s Joaquin Niemann leads the 2024 money list as the only player to win more than one event this year. However, LIV’s viewership numbers remain significantly lower than those of the PGA Tour.