"I thought no cut no legacy!" LIV Golf pros BLAST latest PGA Tour changes
LIV Golf players Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Richard Bland and Kevin Na have ripped into the PGA Tour's decision to host smaller fields with no cut.
Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Kevin Na and Richard Bland are just four LIV Golf players to have ripped into the PGA Tour's decision to tweak some of its elevated events to smaller fields without a cut in 2024.
In case you missed the bombshell news on Wednesday afternoon, the PGA Tour is now formulating ideas that a number of their elevated events will be contested by fields of between '70-78 players' next season.
And most importantly, with no cut.
WATCH DP WORLD TOUR PRO JOOST LUITEN HIT OUT AT LIV GOLF IN THE LATEST EPISODE OF THE GOLFMAGIC PODCAST:
@joostluiten has his say on LIV golf
Do you agree? Check out our full podcast with Joost below https://t.co/YqYhx02dhJ pic.twitter.com/sa8EOllAzx— GolfMagic (@GolfMagic) March 1, 2023
The proposed move by the PGA Tour will ensure the very 'best' players on the circuit will all get to compete together and importantly all over four rounds too, making it an easier pull for sponsors looking to get involved.
It can often prove something of a headache for sponsors when their headline names are packing their bags after 36 holes in round two.
These new limited-field PGA Tour events, however, will also allow some of the 'hottest' players on the circuit a chance to mix it with the world's best as certain tournaments will count as eligibility.
"I'm all about rewarding good play."@McIlroyRory gives his thoughts on the new TOUR schedule pic.twitter.com/CyC3kibzEs
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 2, 2023
As Rory McIlroy confirmed during his press conference ahead of the Arnold Palmer Invitational this week though, the move back to some limited-field events without a cut is not exactly a radical move on the PGA Tour.
There are a number of tournaments on the current PGA Tour schedule including the FedEx Cup Playoffs that are limited-field events without a cut.
The days of the World Golf Championships were also exactly the same.
Check out McIlroy's comments in full here.
It is the absence of a cut though that has been met with a chorus of sarcasm by a number of the players who joined the breakaway tour, led by Greg Norman.
The latest news has drawn heavy criticism from a number of LIV Golf players, especially Westwood, Poulter, Bland and Na, who each took to their social media channels up in arms.
Where do you stand on the PGA Tour's decision to limit field sizes w/o a cut?
— GolfMagic (@GolfMagic) March 2, 2023
Of course LIV Golf, which runs tournaments over 54 holes without a cut, remains shut of receiving any Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points as it stands.
That remains their big frustration.
In the view of most LIV Golf players right now, if the PGA Tour can continue to earn world ranking points, with a number of events that will no longer feature a cut mark, then why should they not get the same treatment?
Here's what some of them had to say:
I’ve spent the last year reading how good full fields and cuts are!
— Lee Westwood (@WestwoodLee) March 1, 2023
"I've spent a year reading how good full fields and cuts are," posted former World No. 1 and Majesticks player Westwood.
Iron Heads captain Na replied: "I thought no cut no legacy [crying laughter]," before then joking how he rolls around in $100 bills.
I thought no cut no legacy
— Kevin Na (@kevinna915) March 1, 2023
yeah! Lee and I roll around in $100 bills
— Kevin Na (@kevinna915) March 1, 2023
Majesticks captain Poulter then chimed in: "When will the penny drop with so many of what has actually happened here?"
Oh my my my…. When will the penny drop with so many of what’s actually happened here. It really doesn’t take a to work out. And sounds very similar to another product that’s been spoken so badly about by Media and commentators. I’m all ears now I’m waiting https://t.co/lxYg6B8goy
— Ian Poulter (@IanJamesPoulter) March 1, 2023
Poulter then further commented:
The irony, its ncredible…. https://t.co/Ldwd8E1EQt
— Ian Poulter (@IanJamesPoulter) March 1, 2023
— Ian Poulter (@IanJamesPoulter) March 1, 2023
I left school at 15 and can work out what a good deal is @PGATOUR guaranteeing a rise in prize funds of 2% a year over the next 5 years to @DPWorldTour. To then raise their own by 30% and take ET best 10 players. I watched enough of #sharktank to know how this deal is. https://t.co/KaW0bHOPqh
— Ian Poulter (@IanJamesPoulter) March 2, 2023
Fellow Englishman Bland, who plays on the Cleeks team captained by Martin Kaymer, then further went to town on the 'strategic alliance' between the PGA Tour and DP World Tour.
Richard Bland has an interesting take on the impact the new designated events will have on the DP World Tour and the strategic alliance. This is similar to what Lee Westwood has said.
Thoughts? @WestwoodLee pic.twitter.com/rcd8tVv1g6— Flushing It (@flushingitgolf) March 1, 2023
Bland wrote on Instagram:
Where do you stand on the PGA Tour's decision to limit fields without a cut mark in a number of elevated events next season? Share your thoughts and comments over on the GolfMagic social media channels, or come and visit us over on the GolfMagic YouTube Channel.