Ernie Els this week in the Regions Tradition tournament.
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Ernie Els says he never found LIV Golf, and even if he did, the four-time winner would have turned it down.
He also says playing in the old three-season league is not “proper golf.”
No, Els’LIV’s stance has not softened.
His latest thoughts came in an interview this week with yellowhammernews.com, an Alabama-based outlet, where Els and the PGA Tour Champions are playing the Regions Tradition, the circuit’s first major of the year – and you can read the full story here. . The comments follow similar ones from Els a few years ago.
In July 2022, about a month after LIV played its first event, Els told GOLF’s Alan Bastable at the time that he wouldn’t have signed with the series if it had been there in his prime – though he said he knew why players would join.
“I understand that guys leave for money – it’s a ridiculous amount – and you get to a certain point in your career, you have to think about it,” Els said. “But it’s not golf as we know it. It is a very different product.”
His hang-ups?
“If it was a 72-hole course, you’d have to look at it,” Els told Bastable. “But it’s 54 holes, it’s not cut, the gun explodes. Sounds like a bad season of golf.”
In an interview with The Palm Beach Post In February last year, Els also said his relationship had changed with Charl Schwartzel, Branden Grace and Louis Oosthuizen, fellow South Africans who left the PGA Tour to join LIV, adding that the league “went in the wrong direction, too.” they have raised a lot of good that the game deserves.” But Els’ criticism was not limited to LIV.
Last June, the Tour agreed to a proposed sponsorship deal with the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund, a backer of LIV. Significantly, the Tour side was consulted by only three people, including tour commissioner Jay Monahan, and it was Monahan who angered Els.
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“If this happened in my day, in my upbringing, there is no way that they would be there,” said Els Sports Illustrated’s Bob Harig. “It’s impossible. And the board has to change. You’re doing s*** like this. I’m sorry, it’s not right. Talk to us, tell us what you’re going to do, plan to negotiate. Don’t you just behave badly as a board member and come back with a deal and think we’re all going to agree? You’re affecting people’s lives. You’re affecting the professional game. It’s just too bad.”
Of Sports Illustrated In fact, Els was not in favor of the deal, saying that the Tour should complete the deal because the Saudis could invest significantly in the Tour. Els reserved his opinion in a story published by yellowhammernews.com, although the deal is still being negotiated.
“This nonsense is not good for our game,” he said.
He also retracted his opinion about LIV in the article.
“Listen, I know the Saudi boys; they really love the game of golf,” said Els. “But the current LIV format is not ideal golf. It wouldn’t be about me, no matter what stage of my career I’m at.”
Els also said this in an article on yellowhammernews.com:
“The fact remains in my mind, LIV’s golf format doesn’t work, not the way they’re playing right now. Maybe there’s a place for club golf within the global schedule – maybe put some teams together, play a two-month joy season, so to speak. But the rest of the year, let’s play real golf.”
Editor’s note: To read the full yellowhammernews.com story, please click here.
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