Johnson Wagner has seemingly got little sympathy for the LIV Golf stars who are growing impatient as the decision-makers in the game look for a way to bring the sport back together.
In truth, the talk surrounding the rift between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf has gone nowhere over the last two years, but it has been put front and centre once again recently with Bryson DeChambeau winning the US Open.
DeChambeau has become one of the most popular golfers in the sport, so it is hard to not wonder how he would fare if he was coming up against the likes of Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele and Rory McIlroy on a more consistent basis.
And the 30-year-old is not the only LIV star the PGA Tour misses. Losing Jon Rahm ahead of the season was a massive blow to the PGA. Meanwhile, Brooks Koepka won his fifth major title after making the jump to the breakaway tour.
Johnson Wagner hits out at what some LIV Golf stars have been saying
The framework agreement between the PGA Tour and PIF last year appeared to set the stage for the game to come together again, but, from the outside, there seems to have been little progress made since then. Thus, golf’s civil war continues.
Speaking on The Smylie Show, Johnson Wagner expressed his desire to see unity again, but he hit out at those on LIV who claim to want the same.
“We definitely need to get them back together. I’ve heard from a couple of LIV guys, ‘I can’t believe it’s taking so long to get back together’, and I hate that narrative because they’re the ones that caused the fray anyway, so the fact that they are pushing for us to get back together is really bothering me,” he said.
“Bryson at the PGA and the US Open made me really want to see us come back, I want to see Jon Rahm play, I want to see Bryson, I want to see Brooks, I want to see Cam Smith. I did a walk and talk with him last week, and I forgot about how much I love Cam Smith. The dude is a legend, he’s so much fun, he’s incredible to watch, I want these guys back.
“It’s just it’s going to be so hard, you can’t just go take $100 million and come waltzing back into the PGA Tour now we have $20 million purses. There has to be some sort of, I don’t want to call it a penalty, but there has to be something.”
Those loyal to the PGA Tour should take priority when game comes back together
Those who stayed loyal to the PGA Tour understandably felt let down when the tour announced the framework agreement as it seemed that they were going to almost lose out by not jumping ship.
It would feel like they are being let down again if the door is opened for LIV players to return without a punishment in the future.
As Wagner alludes to, there is a fine line to tread here, as players such as DeChambeau and Rahm will also generate more money for the PGA Tour if they return to it, which will hopefully filter down the pyramid.
Mackenzie Hughes was the player to qualify for the signature events this season because of Rahm’s departure, and he admitted to hating the decision the Spaniard took. So the feelings remain strong.
Those who stuck by the PGA Tour should certainly receive further rewards for their loyalty should the game ever come back together.
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