Sir Nick Faldo is not a huge fan of the LIV Golf format, and feels that the inflated prize funds and lack of a cut has meant that "some of those players have gone soft".
There are 12 players from LIV Golf playing in The Masters this year, but many may not make too big of a challenge if Faldo is right in his assertion that some have lost their edge from living a comfortable life on LIV Golf.
Last year Faldo felt Jon Rahm lacked the intensity to defend his Green Jacket after "playing resort courses in his shorts" in the LIV Golf League, and it seems his stance has not changed.
The lack of a cut and the huge sums of prize money mean that, according to Faldo, the sporting and financial intensity has been taken out of the game in LIV.
“Sport is bloody tough," Faldo told TalkSport. "The fear of failure is just as powerful as the quest to win.
“And I think when you're on a fail-free tour, you can't fail. It makes you go soft. I think some of those players have gone soft.”
The three-time Masters champion also scoffed at the LIV Golf business model, with the vast sums paid out in contracts and prize money massively outweighing what he feels is coming in.
“It's the one and only business model in the world where the money's going out the window and very little's coming in,” Faldo added.
“You couldn't go to your bank manager and say, ‘This is my business model.' He'd say, ‘Excuse me? We've only got this coming in and that going out?’
“I say the players are the luckiest things in the world, because you've got guys we've hardly heard of, who’ve never won, playing in $20 million tournaments.
"And then you've got these couple of guys getting paid an absolute fortune, and they haven't moved a needle, really. So, hey, good luck to them. Go and do their own thing.”
Sir Nick Faldo on...
The PGA Tour and LIV Golf may be better off not doing a deal: “Personally, I think they should just go and do their own thing. LIV is LIV. Go and play the tour. You know, it's caused the ruckus.
"The players have done incredibly well - they've found a way to double the bloomin’ prize money. They're all making a fortune, both sides.”
Money talk on television has been putting the fans off: “I sat there for television and I did not mention prize money that many times in 18 years.
“We were told not to mention – just keep talking about points. Then all of a sudden we're saying $10 million, $20 million, $100 million - everything was about money."
TV ratings for the PGA Tour starting to pick up: "The Tour has just got to keep promoting personalities and that sort of thing. Tell the story, get the public interest and we'll see.
“Augusta - got a feeling we'll have a good one and the viewership will be good. Maybe things are picking up on the TV side in America. Let's see how it goes.”
