Viktor Hovland, a European Ryder Cup player, has called the current situation between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf “sad” and “comical.”
The Norwegian recently spoke about everything golf on Claude Harmon’s podcast.
Naturally, the topic of discussion turned to the top players in the men’s division.
Hovland feels that the PGA Tour and LIV Golf are to blame for the game’s decline into a “sad” and “comical” state.
The European Ryder Cup star claimed that ongoing arguments about money are overshadowing more important matters.
To prove his point, Hovland stated that even with a $6 million top prize in the PGA Tour’s John Deere Classic, he would much rather win the Memorial.
“That seems a little bit soulless to me if that’s what you’re remembering by the end of the week,” he remarked.
According to Hovland’s explanation on Son of a Butch, “Money is important these days, and everyone should be paid fairly and appropriately.
However, I don’t believe that should be the main plot point of this or the story every single week.
“I’d much rather win a Memorial or a tournament like that, not to dog on a tournament here or there, where the John Deere purse could go up to $6 million for first place.
It’s going to stick in your memory to win that competition and see your name on the trophy; that’s pretty awesome.
“The pay check is nice, of course, but at the end of the week, if that’s all you remember, that seems a little bit soulless to me.”
Hovland has long been a target for LIV Golf, which makes sense considering his apparent skill set.
According to some reports, the FedEx Cup champion of the current year was in advanced talks to become a member of the league in 2024.
In order to lend some validity to those rumors, Hovland was previously quoted criticizing the leadership of the PGA Tour.
Hovland stated in those remarks from December 2023 that he was still dedicated to the Tour.
However, he called the senior leadership “arrogant” and said they had “done a damn bad job” of handling the crisis.
He had earlier declared, “The management has not done a good job.”
“They essentially regard the players as employees rather than fellow members. We are the PGA Tour, after all. There wouldn’t exist without the participants.”
After a few months, we still haven’t reached a resolution. The PGA Tour maintains that talks with LIV’s financiers are ongoing.
However, some elite athletes, like Jordan Spieth, have questioned if the Tour is genuinely interested in reaching an agreement with the PIF.
There’s a lack of transparency on both ends, Hovland informed Harmon.
He said, “I don’t know a whole lot myself, so I like to ask questions.”
“Thus, by asking more questions, I can obtain more information and, from my perspective, make better decisions. The frustrating thing is that, as players, things haven’t been very clear to us.
It’s challenging for us, therefore when you ask me a question, I want to be honest and provide you with a direct response.
“I’m just not sure. To be honest, it’s been a little depressing, but I try not to think about it too much. I don’t know what the future holds.
“It’s a little comical to see what’s going on in the game of golf, but I hope there’s a resolution in the future because at the end of the day, I just want to compete at the best golf courses, the best tournaments and against the best players.
“However that’s going to happen, I don’t know, but that’s what I’d like to see.”
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