Golf
Viktor Hovland with LIV bombshell out of nowhere on eve of The Open
European Ryder Cup and PGA Tour superstar Viktor Hovland has admitted he may end up regretting not joining LIV Golf when he looks back on his career.
Hovland made the comments in an interview with The Times of London on the eve of the 152nd Open Championship at Royal Troon.
The 26-year-old has always been a target for the breakaway tour and he has revealed he tasked his agent with exploring a move after 2023 Masters champion Jon Rahm signed a five-year contract with the Saudi-backed league last December for a reported half a billion dollars.
At the time, Rahm‘s move shocked the golf world and days later the Spaniard was joined by Tyrrell Hatton after the Englishman left it until the last minute to leave the establishment.
Hatton previously said his caddie Mick Donaghy was at the airport waiting to be told whether to board a flight to California for a lucrative PGA Tour event or head to Mexico for LIV’s opener in Mayakoba.
Hovland has always maintained a relatively neutral stance on joining LIV since its noisy introduction into the world of elite men’s golf in 2022.
Aside from Rahm, you could argue the Norwegian would be their highest priority target given his age and global appeal.
Moreover, his sharp criticism of PGA Tour boss Jay Monahan would’ve given hope to LIV officials they could persuade the golfer to jump ship at some point.
“If I’m going to say no to something, I want to at least know what it is,” Hovland told the paper.
“A lot of the players I’ve talked to want more transparency.
“And if you claim you’re representing our best interests, you at least meet with the people involved.
“Now we’re in this stalemate or whatever you want to call it, but it’s not something that required the prediction of 20 different chess moves.”
LIV are now in their third season and, crucially, some players’ contracts will be up after the 2025 season.
Who will be among the next wave of signings?
Hovland added: “I have no hard feelings against the guys that went.
“I completely understand because there are a lot of grey areas at the moment but, for me, I did not think their product was appealing enough to go.”
Hovland said he’s not a materialistic person and therefore money is not driving him these days.
Although it should be pointed out since he joined the Tour in 2020 after a stellar amateur career that he’s earned a staggering $29,337,636 in official prize money.
It could be argued that should the PGA Tour strike a deal with LIV’s backers in the coming months then the dizzying offers to high-profile golfers may soon be a thing of the past.
“I’ve already made a lot of money,” he said. “I’m not a very materialistic person.
“It’s nice to make life easier for yourself, but that’s not what gets me up in the morning.
“At the end of the day, the question is ‘What’s going to make me a better player?’
“And hey, in 20 years, if I’m on the back end of my career, playing LIV Golf wouldn’t be too bad.
“It might have been a pretty cool opportunity but, right now, it’s something I think I’d probably look back and regret.”
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