The PGA Tour is set to lose another star player with European Ryder Cup hero Tyrrell Hatton on the verge of signing a lucrative deal with Saudi Arabia-funded LIV Golf
LIV Golf is closing in on the huge signing of Ryder Cup hero Tyrrell Hatton, just hours after he committed to play in one of the biggest events on the PGA Tour.
The 32-year-old Englishman committed on Wednesday to participate in the Waste Management Phoenix Open, which gets underway on February 8 at TPC Scottsdale. But according to reports, he is finally going to give in to the Saudi Arabia-funded breakaway league’s relentless pursuit.
It’s no secret that LIV has spent months pursuing Hatton’s signature. After the two-time major champion Spaniard signed a nine-figure contract with LIV in December, the league is searching for players to join Jon Rahm’s squad. As per the agreement, Rahm will captain his own team; his teammates have not yet been announced.
Sports Illustrated reports that LIV made Hatton a new offer this week, which helped to advance the talks and result in a “close but not confirmed” deal.
At the Dubai Desert Classic last week, Hatton—a charming and gifted player with six victories on the DP World Tour and one on the PGA Tour—tentatively committed his future to the tours in response to LIV’s interest. He answered, “As of right now, yeah,” when someone asked if he intended to stay.
“I’d say there’s several people who have had conversations [with LIV],” Hatton continued. That’s just part of the game right now, in my opinion, but I’m content to play on the PGA and DP World Tours. There are many people who have [spoken to LIV], so I don’t see anything to be afraid of.
The loss of Hatton, who is currently ranked 16th in the Official World Golf Rankings, would be devastating for the PGA Tour. PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan and his colleagues had reason to fear a mass exodus following Rahm’s shocking departure, as PGA Tour rookie Adrian Meronk, the 2023 winner of the Seve Ballesteros Award, is also scheduled to join LIV.
Since the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund founded LIV in 2022, the show is in its third season, and Greg Norman, a two-time major champion, is in charge of it. The elite game was severely shattered by the breakaway, but the competition’s legitimacy is growing more and more apparent. Hatton and Meronk have added even more legitimacy to a group of players that includes recent major winners Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Cameron Smith, and Bryson DeChambeau.
Moving to LIV would disqualify Hatton from the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage because European players are required to have a DP World Tour Membership. If Hatton enters the invitational circuit, his membership would be suspended and he would be subject to fines; however, the ongoing merger talks between the PGA Tour and LIV have the potential to completely alter the situation once more.
The Saudis are working hard to get Hatton to be able to tee it up at the season’s curtain-raiser, which takes place in Mayakoba, Mexico next week.
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