Joining LIV Golf turned out to be a bad move for most golfers. It is difficult to say with certainty that any of them made the right choice by joining the controversial project, given that most of them missed the chance to perform at the Majors, i.e. they now have a much more difficult path to these prestigious tournaments.
Cameron Smith and Brooks Koepka were PGA Tour stars before joining LIV Golf. Judging by their performances after joining LIV, they seem to have made a mistake.
Mark Allen, former star of the DP World Tour, spoke about this. During the "Talk Birdie to Me" podcast, he shared his thoughts on Koepka and Smith, with a special emphasis on Brooks, who showed a lot of promise when he arrived on the golf scene. Winning several Majors attracted the attention of the public, who expected Koepka to excel at the PGA.
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Cameron Smith was also a star on the PGA Tour before joining LIV, but he was drawn to the Saudi project and had no doubts about joining.
Ill say it out loud. I think LIV Golf has backfired for Brooks. I think LIV has backfired for Cameron Smith, unfortunately. Its not like were cheering for them to play badly. I used to love watching Brooks, he said.
I remember when Rory won five majors really quickly and disappeared. Tiger was kind of always there. We had some majors where some new guys were popping up, and then Brooks came on the scene, and he won his five majors over a three or four-year period.
It was Rory McIlroy-like; it was Tiger Woods-like, and he was really part of the excitement of a new name coming through that did things his way. It was great to watch, and we desperately want him back contending at majors.- he said, as quoted by The Golfing Gazette.
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Allen also commented on Smith, saying that he excelled on the PGA Tour, but that he is now going through a serious crisis and hopes he can find his rhythm.
The future of golf: What to expect?
While there has been talk of a possible merger between the PGA Tour and LIV for some time now, the situation doesn't look promising and it seems we are not on track to ever see the two tours united.
Some believe this is a negative thing, while others point out that it could increase the rivalry in the golf world and thus increase the interest of the audience.
Opinions have always been divided, but watching the Majors without the big stars is certainly a minus.
