Tour pro explains what "doesn't make sense" to him about LIV Golf players

DP World Tour pro Joost Luiten offered his thoughts on the LIV Golf League as the latest guest of GolfMagic's podcast From The Tips.

Ben Smith

01 Mar 2023

Tour pro explains what "doesn't make sense" to him about LIV Golf players

Dutch professional golfer Joost Luiten reckons LIV Golf League players can't have the best of both worlds.

The 37-year-old six-time European Tour winner was the latest guest on our podcast From The Tips.

Luiten spoke to our Andy Roberts and Harry Benjamin about a number of topics. Chief of which is the continued disruption of LIV Golf.

Luiten told GolfMagic there was a lot of locker room chatter before the breakaway tour kicked off their inaugural series in June 2022.

But now? Not so much. He believes we should all just get on with life.

That doesn't mean LIV players should still get to play DP World Tour events, according to Luiten.

He said: "We can't play on their tour, why should they play on our tour?"

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So does Luiten care that LIV players are still turning up to DP World Tour events?

He said:

"For me, I don't care. You know, I want to beat everybody that competes in the tournament and if that's a LIV tour player or a DP World Tour player I don't care.

"On one side it's strange. They made a decision, and they knew that if they were going to LIV that they couldn't probably play on this tour anymore or get fined.

"There was a lot consequences that they knew when they signed that contract.

"And what I don't like is that [some] then turn around and come back and sue this tour and still try and compete here and try and play which for me doesn't really make a lot of sense.

"You can't really have the best of both worlds and it seems like they want to want to do that. We can't play on their tour, why should they play on our tour?"

A decision on the European LIV players' fate was expected shortly after the DP World Tour v. LIV Golf hearing.

But it has now emerged that a decision which could effectively allow the European-based circuit to ban LIV players has been delayed.

It will cause even more of a headache for European captain Luke Donald as the process drags on.

Luiten continued:

"We'll see what happens in court with that decision. That should be coming out in the next couple of weeks then at least we will know.

"Now it's a bit of a weird situation. They turn up at the big events. They don't play the small events, so I think it will be better if at least everyone knows.

"Then I think it will make it a lot better I think."

Luiten said he had no conversations with LIV.

He continued:

"You can't blame the guys for taking the money I think. That's a decision that every player has to take make for himself.

"If you look at the amounts that have been paid to the players, it's hard to say no, but luckily for me I haven't been in that position.

"Like I said [before] I haven't been high in the rankings or high enough for them to be interested and I'm happy on the DP World Tour.

"That's all I know. I love it. It's like one big family. I know the tournaments. I know the people. I feel comfortable out there, so for me it's not a question of going to LIV or not. I'm very happy where I am."

Luiten said he thinks playing 14 events a year is 'a bit on the low side'. He enjoys playing too much to have a reduced schedule.

Listen to more episodes of From The Tips