Tom Watson isn’t convinced a deal can be struck to reunite the men’s game.
The two-time Masters winner was at Augusta National on Thursday in his role as an honorary starter, along with Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus. The three spoke to the media afterwards, where they were asked if it’s even necessary for an agreement between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf’s backers for the game to thrive.
After almost two years of negotiations, Watson has doubts over whether it can even be achieved, regardless of what it will mean for the game. “I don't see a real working mechanism for the two tours to get back together,” he said. “I think that's one of the reasons you haven't seen an agreement, as you said, since June two years ago.”
Thanks to the impasse, The Masters remains one of the few occasions where PGA Tour and LIV Golf players get to compete against each other, and Watson acknowledged that the stars would prefer more opportunities to tee it up against each other.
He added: “The one thing I do know is that Scottie Scheffler in his speech at the past Champions Dinner on Tuesday night said, ‘I'm glad we're all together again.’ So the players would like to get together. But it's really up to the powers that be to see if there's a framework in which the two tours can cooperate.”
But what does Watson see as the biggest stumbling block? He thinks it’s the PGA Tour’s conflicting event rule. “I don't see that framework happening, he said. “Maybe they're smarter people than I am, but the key element of the PGA Tour, the one thing that is required of you is to get permission to play in a competing tournament, conflicting event rule.
“That's there to protect the sponsors of our PGA Tour so that the fields are not depleted of all the good players as they go and play other tournaments. That's the main requirement.”
Despite Watson’s doubts, he admitted that reunification would be good for the game. He said: “From the standpoint of what Scottie said, I concur, it would be great to have all the great players play together, and it's happening in the Major championships.”
He wasn’t alone in that wish. Three-time Masters champion Player began: “Well, first of all, I think anytime in life, and getting closer to 90 now, you realize that confrontation is a terrible thing. Confrontation and forgiveness is very important,” before saying: “It would be ideal if everybody could get together again.”
As for Nicklaus, he is confident the PGA Tour can thrive even without an agreement. He said: “Well, I think the LIV pushed the PGA Tour into doing some things that were a little premature for the PGA Tour. But the PGA Tour is doing fine.
“I think they've changed their structure. The players now own a piece of what's going on. I think their plan of bringing along with their elevated events and their plan of bringing young players along in the other tournaments has been very successful. We're making new stars for the game."
“Would I love to see them all come together? Sure, I think we all would. But I think the PGA Tour is the Tour, and that's where most of your good players are, and I think it's very healthy no matter which way it goes, but obviously we'd all like to see everybody together.”
The three's comments came a day after Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley urged cooperation in negotiations, saying: "What I would do and what I am doing is just encouraging again - sometimes if you start kind of at eye level, and that is to encourage cooperation and trying to figure out a way to get something done, regardless of what the structure of it is, to where everyone can play together again.
He added: "I think we all agree that four times a year is not enough to have the great players of the game together."
