There is serious momentum in the golf world for a mending of fences between the PGA Tour and Saudi-funded breakaway LIV Golf tour. The PGA Tour has seen ratings take a serious dip this year and calls are coming from both sides to find a way to reunite before even more damage is done to professional golf. But in spite of some kinder, gentler feelings on both sides in recent months, clearly not everyone is feeling it.
And that includes reigning US Open champion Wyndham Clark.
Clark’s career has been on the upswing as one of the PGA Tour’s newer stars thanks to his first major victory last summer. And in an interview after an opening round 73 at Augusta placed him in the middle of the pack, he was still optimistic about his chances. (Unlike let’s say, Tyrell Hatton.)
But in the process he also, unprompted, took a shot across the bow at his LIV Golf rivals and specifically first round leader Bryson DeChambeau, who opened with a 7-under 65 in Round 1.
"Yeah, we've got 54 holes. In LIV Golf they only play 54, so I like my chances."
Wyndham Clark feels confident he can still catch the leaders after his first round at the Masters. pic.twitter.com/xcvLGq0mrz
— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) April 11, 2024
“We got 54 holes,” Clark said. “In LIV Golf they only play 54 so I like my chances. We’ve got a lot of golf left, and yea. As you can see, someone shot 7-under, I can do that tomorrow.”
Ouch. Clark didn’t even mention DeChambeau by name in doubling down on the LIV diss track. Brooks Koepka became the first LIV golfer to win a major last year at the PGA Championship and DeChambeau is trying to become the second. Clark has a long way to go to catch him and get back to the top of the leaderboard, but is very confident he can do so.
The PGA Tour and the Saudis are supposedly slowly working towards some kind of agreement, even with the PGA Tour raking in a huge equity deal for a new for-profit part of their business from other very wealthy investors. If and when that date does come, there will still be some things that need ironed out between some of the game’s top stars to truly get back on the same page.
