The feud between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour continues to rage on. Commissioner Jay Monahan announced some major changes to the PGA Tour, including 20 new events, larger prize purses, and better pay for the tour's top performers. The changes didn't sit well with some on the LIV Golf Tour, particularly Lee Westwood, who didn't hold back when labeling the PGA Tour as “hypocrites” over the series of impending rule changes. Via Bob Harig of SI.com, Westwood blasted Monahan and Co. for copying LIV Golf despite being vocally opposed to what the Saudi upstart league is doing.
'It's Just a Copy of What LIV Is Doing': Lee Westwood Blasts PGA Tour's Enhancements https://t.co/F9xnQPoATK via @si_golf via @johnhuggan
— Bob Harig (@BobHarig) August 25, 2022
“I laugh at what the PGA Tour players have come up with,” Westwood said after the plan was unveiled at the Tour Championship. “It’s just a copy of what LIV is doing. There are a lot of hypocrites out there. They all say LIV is ‘not competitive.’ They all point at the no-cut aspect of LIV and the short fields. Now, funnily enough, they are proposing 20 events that look a lot like LIV. Hopefully, at some point, they will all choke on their words. And hopefully, they will be held to account as we were in the early days.”
While Westwood accuses the PGA Tour of copying Greg Norman's golf league, there are some stark differences between the Saudi upstart league, and the changes Monahan is implementing.
For one, the PGA Tour will continue to play 72 holes, unlike the 54-hole tournaments under LIV. Additionally, there will still be cuts and larger playing fields in the PGA, whereas the LIV has its usual 48 members and does not include cuts. The style LIV implements has led some to suggest it is not a competitive league.
Adding larger purses to PGA Tour events seemed a logical next step in order to compete with LIV, but in the eyes of Lee Westwood, it's a feeble attempt from Monahan and Co. to rip off Norman's product.
The war of words –and lawsuits– between the two tours figures to carry on a while longer, as clearly there is still some tension on both ends.
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