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Golf Monthly
Golf Monthly
Sport
Paul Higham

'Why Do We Have To Change?' Poulter 'Sick Of Listening To Peoples' Rubbish' Over World Tour Idea

Ian Poulter acknowledges the crowd during a LIV Golf tournament.

With the golfing landscape shifting yet again, there's plenty of talk of a world tour being created above all the other current competitions, but Ian Poulter is most certainly not a fan.

The Englishman says he is "sick of listening to people's rubbish" about the idea, especially as LIV Golf is already a global competition.

Rory McIlroy has been a major voice floating the world tour idea, saying it could operate like the Champions League in European football.

Poulter though, is happy where he is at LIV Golf and feels that Greg Norman's tour is already a global entity so should not have to change to fit into the world tour idea.

“Are we not already playing that now?” Poulter told Gulf News when asked about the world tour suggestions.

The Majesticks joint-captain feels that the talk of this global competition has only come about because the PGA Tour and supporters are envious of the product they have at LIV Golf.

“Again, someone else wants a different product," Poulter added. "We’ve got 54 players on LIV Golf right now, with arguably over half of them the best players in the world, so why does this product have to change?"

LIV Golf already holds events in America, Australia, Europe, the Middle East and Far East, and Poulter is against the 54-hole, shotgun start event having to change to fit in with a new golfing landscape.

“This is technically a World Tour anyway right now, so why do we have to change our product because someone thinks it will suit them better if they’re involved in another product.

“I’m sick of playing the what if game. I’m sick of listening to people’s rubbish to be honest.”

McIlroy is a fan of a World Tour but Poulter is most certainly not (Image credit: Getty Images)

A world tour is seen as an option for growing the game and forming an alliance between players on the PGA Tour and LIV Golf.

The new $3 billion SSG investment has seemingly calmed the urgency for the two sides to make a deal to see the top players from both entities competing against each other.

Both sides have problems, LIV Golf's big stars don't currently have a good route into the Majors due to the lack of world ranking points.

And the PGA Tour has lost the likes of Jon Rahm to the LIV millions and risks losing more if it cannot fend off the advances of the Saudi PIF - unless it does a deal with them.

There's also the very America-centric focus on the PGA Tour, and a more global approach, possibly including more DP World Tour involvement, may address that. 

If Poulter speaks for the rest of the LIV Golf roster, however, they will resist any changes to their competition that would be suggested to create a new world tour.

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