LIV Stars in the Hot Seat at Press Conference Stand Off

Bryson DeChambeau allegedly taking $100 million to join the LIV is another headline story, with the 2020 US Open champion jumping into the field for the second event in Oregon scheduled for the end of June 2022.

I personally feel that this is a win for the PGA Tour, his obnoxious personality won’t be missed, and his long drives on occasion are good to watch, but they don’t make up for his slow play and getting a protractor out to hit a 125-yard wedge shot.

Graeme McDowell took most of the hits in the press conference, being asked point blank how to address his moral compass regarding the Saudi regime and their murderous past.

“The Khashoggi situation was reprehensible…

…But we are proud to help Saudi if they want to use #golf to get to where they want to be”@Graeme_McDowell on why he’s decided to join the £202m Saudi-backed @LIVGolfInv, despite the country’s human rights record… pic.twitter.com/4vQs7xUZCi

— Neil Barker (@Mockneyrebel) June 7, 2022

I haven’t thought about GMac for some time, usually a likeable character, but it does make it hard to like him when he still claims to grow the game from the top down rather than the bottom-up.

And this is a feature that I couldn’t help but shout at the screen when seeing Westwood and Poulter nonchalantly talking about growing the game. The LIV series won’t grow the game. If they wanted to grow the game, taking millions of dollars to play in a series of fantasy events with clip art logos isn’t hat comes to mind.

#Golf‘s moral maze…

“If Vladimir Putin had a tournament would you play there?”@IanJamesPoulter – “I won’t comment on speculation”

“Would you have played in Apartheid South Africa?”@WestwoodLee – “I can’t answer a hypothetical question”@NeilMcLeman with the questions pic.twitter.com/HGCNoj3HFu

— Neil Barker (@Mockneyrebel) June 8, 2022

Justin Thomas put it very well in an interview, saying he doesn’t see any of his colleagues in a different light, only that he is disappointed in players like DJ.

JT said it is up to the individual player where they play, but that it would be good to see some headlines promoting the PGA tour and the positive stories coming out of the US Open qualifiers this week.

In that vein, 57-year-old Fran Quinn qualified for the US Open, 30 years after playing in his first one at Pebble Beach, the year Tom Kite won. He beat his son and a field of others vying for a spot at The Country Club in Brookline, just an hour from where Quinn grew up. The feat reminds us that golf knows no boundaries when it comes to age.

Quinn played the second playoff hole in a beautiful way, laying up with his second and sticking a wedge to two feet for birdie rather than going for the green in two.

His fellow playing partner Brandon Matthews qualified alongside, a man with a different strategy in golf as he can generate above 200mph ball speed, and reportedly had to remove his driver from his bag as it was going too far. A common issue for us 9 handicappers.

Fran Quinn showed that age is just a number in golf, and he is an underdog story that would get golf-lovers on board, because its relatable. Seeing Martin Kaymer play average golf for millions of dollars in a field where only half of the names are recognisable is not the same buzz. And the lines of ‘we’re not politicians’ will ring loud and clear for a few more days, but I think interviewers should be asking different questions.

Rather than trying to get a soundbite by commenting on the Saudi regime, ask how these players are growing the game by being paid more to play to a lower standard.

Ask if they are willing to give up the Ryder Cup.

Ask whether Westwood or Garcia made their unhappiness clear to the PGA Tour committee, whether any of these complaints were voiced.

Ask if their love of golf still burns strong, if they genuinely feel they are still role models for young golfers, as Graeme McDowell claims.

We can now await a few more awkward questions over the rest of the week, while making side bets on the next pros to fall in line behind the LIV frontmen, marching on to ‘grow the game’ this weekend.

Cover Photo via Twitter