Breaking; Viktor Hovland stance on reuniting with LIV Golf stars speaks volumes about what PGA Tour must do
Viktor Hovland from Norway reunited with LIV Golf luminaries such as Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka at the Masters, sharing candidly his experience of meeting these players.
Viktor Hovland expressed his happiness about being reunited with the players of LIV Golf, acknowledging that he has even missed some of them.
In the past, the Norwegian expressed his honest thoughts about LIV by stating that joining the breakaway tour would not enhance his golfing skills. However, he harbors no resentment towards any of his former colleagues who have migrated to Saudi’s new league.
Hovland, along with numerous PGA Tour luminaries, has been accompanied by a cohort of LIV participants at the Masters this week. When questioned about any rapport between them, Hovland responded affirmatively: “Somewhat. I didn’t interact much with other players yesterday.”
While chatting with a couple was enjoyable, it was apparent that both they and I were occupied with our respective preparations.
“I do miss a few of the guys out there, and it’s great that we have the opportunity to reunite and compete against each other once more. I hope those watching from home will relish seeing us face off.”
Rory McIlroy now shares Hovland’s opinion regarding the idea of having the top players in the world face off against one another, despite initially opposing it after a merger between their respective organizations was revealed.
Earlier this year, he expressed a shift in his perspective by stating that having a weakened PGA Tour or any other tour would be detrimental to both parties involved. He now believes it’s crucial for the sport’s progress that they join forces and work together towards their shared goal of advancing golf as a whole. He is resolute about wanting everyone to come back stronger and unite by creating robust fields possible for maximum impact on the game of golf.
Despite Jay Monahan and Yasir Al Rumayyan’s attempts to announce a truce between the warring parties, there has been little progress. In fact, Jon Rahm’s unexpected departure from golf to join the Saudi breakaway league has only widened the divide even more.
Last month, the duo met up in the Bahamas and Tiger Woods made an appearance. Monahan updated players from PGA about it but provided no substantial information.
In his email, Monahan stated that the discussion was productive and a vital aspect of scrutinizing potential investors for PGA Tour Enterprises. This mirrors our earlier approach when we considered an investment proposition from Strategic Sports Group. At this meeting, Yasir had the opportunity to introduce himself to our player directors and elucidate on his goals, preferences, and reasons behind investing in professional golf.
If the PGA Tour does not expedite its merger plans, there is a growing possibility that Hovland and McIlroy’s desire for top-notch players to compete against each other may be jeopardized. Additionally, based on prior experiences, it appears LIV would not hesitate to offer larger sums of money to attract more players and increase their viewership.
