Gary Player is not one to mince words.
And in his latest rant, he sounded off against the LIV Golf Series. Player, who is a Golf Saudi ambassador, said recently in a BBC interview numerous things going against LIV Golf, Cameron Smith and other players who’ve defected to the breakaway series that’s backed by Saudi Arabia.
The nine-time major winner even called for those breakaways to be banned from majors.
“I wouldn’t take a billion dollars for my nine majors on both tours,” Player said. “I worked hard. I had desire. I traveled the world. It was an education, I met wonderful people.
“How can you ever be a champion playing a tour with 54 holes and no cut? What sort of tour is that? 54 holes, no cut, a team event nobody understands. It’s a tour for people who don’t have confidence in their future. They don’t have the confidence they can be winners. It’s never going to compare to the regular tour. No chance.”
“They’ve declared war on the PGA Tour,” Player added. “They must not expect to play in the Ryder Cup, the Presidents Cup, play in the majors and all those things. You can’t have your cake and eat it. That’s the bed you’ve chosen, that’s the bed you’ve got to lie in.”
Asked whether LIV could overtake the PGA Tour as the top circuit, Player responded: “Not even a chance.”
Player also specifically went after Smith, the second-ranked golfer in the world who joined LIV Golf ahead of its tournament in Bolton, Massachusetts, this week.
“Here’s a young man I really thought was going to be a superstar. Now, what sort of future does he have?” Player said. “Will he be able to realize this great dream of being a champion? I don’t know. I don’t blame [Henrik] Stenson for going. He had no money, so he had to go. But this is a potential superstar. I think his advisors have given him the wrong advice.”
It’s safe to say Player, 86, isn’t the biggest fan of LIV Golf.
