2023 U.S. Open champion Windham Clark is never afraid to voice his opinion.
Is it the exuberant self-confidence of Clark, who once declared himself a better player than Rory McIlroy, or the green at Pinehurst No. 2 unplayable ahead of this year's U.S. Open? In any case, Clark does not hesitate to reveal the truth. his true beliefs. Whether one loves him or hates him, one must marvel at this reality. He's direct, to the point, and not afraid to ask questions.
This includes questions about LIV Golf. In February this year, Mr Clarke admitted that he almost joined the Saudi-backed circuit last winter.
“I definitely met with LIV and had some discussions. I wanted to see what they could bring to the table,” Clark said after winning the rain-shortened AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
“In the end, I declined to participate in LIV because I felt there was still a lot left in the PGA Tour. I want to chase records. I want to chase world rankings. “I always wanted to win PGA Tour events.”
“Ultimately, I chose my legacy over LIV.”
Fast forward eight months. “No Sleeping Over” PodcastWe invited Clark, one of the best in golf media, to be on the show. Host Chris Solomon asked Clark questions about a variety of topics, but towards the end of the episode, the topic of LIV golf naturally came up.
Although the sport remains divided, many players on both sides hope that the professional game will be rekindled and end the current divide. Mr. Clark is one of those who feels the same way.
There, Clark explained how LIV Golf's stars are returning to the PGA Tour.
“I think it depends on the opponent,” Clark said.
“I think players who have had a career where they should be a PGA Tour player for the rest of their lives deserve the right to play on the PGA Tour. I think it's probably people who have quit and don't have that kind of pedigree or career. — I don't know — they're the ones that I think would struggle because they made their own decisions, right? So they chose to play there and take the money, and a lot of us struggle with that. I think there is.”
So who should be a lifelong PGA Tour player?
“If Dustin Johnson wants to come back, Phil Mickelson and Brooks [Koepka]and the players who win majors are so good that they have the right to play anywhere,'' Clark added.
“But there are other people that I'm struggling with. And then we see things going, and we're like, hey, a lot of us have had the opportunity to take money away. If we had known 100% that we could take it and come back, we all would have done it, because we would all have been better off.”
A number of stars, including the aforementioned Johnson, Mickelson and Koepka, as well as Bryson DeChambeau, Cameron Smith and Jon Rahm, received significant funding from the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) to participate in LIV Golf. PIF reportedly gave Rahm more than $400 million.
However, these players are still prohibited from playing in PGA Tour events.
“I just hope that we get the best players together and play together and it works out in a mutually beneficial way for everyone involved,” Clark said.
“It's a tough question, but at the end of the day, I just want to focus on what I can control. If I play my best golf, no matter what happens, I'll have a place to play.” Dew.”
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation's Playing Through. Be sure to check it out @_PlayingThrough Cover more golf. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko In the same way.
