Mackenzie Hughes has revealed he viewed it as ‘a slap in the face’ he wasn’t invited to the famous Delaware meeting with Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.
PGA Tour pro Mackenzie Hughes has revealed he viewed it as ‘a slap in the face’ he and several other golfers weren’t invited to the famous Delaware meeting at the height of the North American circuit’s battle with LIV Golf.
Cast your mind back to August 2022 and Tiger Woods along with Rory McIlroy took matters into their own hands by gathering a group of elite players to navigate a path forwards amid unprecedented disruption in the men’s game.
Ultimately, the understanding that the best players needed to compete together more frequently resulted from that meeting.
There’s no denying that LIV’s influence has had a significant impact on the Tour’s structure.
There will be a number of lucrative, no-cut “signature” events in 2024, but entry to them will only be granted to the best players.
Because Hughes was the Fedex Cup bubble boy, it appeared that he would be missing out on the major events.
In the season-long points race, he came in 71st place. Every signature event begins with a guaranteed start for players ranked among the top 70.
However, Hughes has now moved up as a result of Jon Rahm switching to LIV Golf and the Spaniard’s subsequent suspension.
Following Rahm’s departure to the rival league, Hughes gained notoriety for expressing his dissatisfaction with the status of the men’s professional game in a lengthy thread on X.
In a press conference held in Hawaii prior to The Sentry, he discussed this subject in detail.
He told reporters in Kapalua, “All these guys going to LIV have made it pretty clear that it’s all about money.”
“By ‘growing the game,’ I mean money as well.”
Therefore, that disappoints me. I didn’t choose a schedule for 2019 based on my purse, for example.
“However, it would be foolish of me to skip these events now that I’m eligible to compete. These are excellent chances. However, I don’t think it’s appropriate.”
He gave the following explanation about the meeting in Delaware: “They believed that only 25 or 30 of the 70 PGA Tour players in attendance were suitable for that meeting? A small slap across the face.
“Are you going to tell me that I can’t sit in that meeting and at least listen, when you got 70 of the best players on the PGA Tour that season?”
“You can just move me to the back and tell Mac, ‘Hey, don’t talk, but at least pay attention to what we’re saying.'” It resembled a who’s who of the tour gathering behind closed doors.
“I’m not suggesting that you base your choice on my opinion, but it would be good to at least hear what’s happening and offer your opinion—if only to feel like you’re a part of it. Since I’m not a PGA Tour celebrity, but I’m also not a moron.”
The Canadian was also critical of players who have voiced their disappointment at not yet receiving financial compensation for their continued loyalty to the Tour.
“I think there’s a lot of guys that feel entitled out here,” he continued.
“People start to think, ‘Oh, well I stayed loyal, like, where’s my money?’ when they see all these huge amounts of money flying around and this offer and that offer.
“You have no right to compete on the PGA Tour. It’s an opportunity, and you have the right and privilege to play here; nobody owes you anything, though.
It’s not someone who is shoving you. You are free to go play over there if you’d like; you’re not required to stay.
“So, I don’t like this whole the tour owes me something attitude either.”
