Louis Oosthuizen just might have LIV Golf Tour buyer's remorse: "It sucks"

Louis Oosthuizen says that it "sucks" that he is not allowed to be selected for the forthcoming Presidents Cup after joining the LIV Golf Tour.

Ben Smith's picture
Tue, 20 Sep 2022
Louis Oosthuizen just might have LIV Golf Tour buyer's remorse: "It sucks"

Louis Oosthuizen, who has resigned his membership from the PGA Tour to play the LIV Golf Invitational Series, says it "sucks" he won't be able to compete in the forthcoming Presidents Cup

Oosthuizen - who previously stated that he "didn't understand the fuss about LIV" has a very strong record for the International side. He has represented the team on four occasions and has a record of 9-6-4. Three years ago the South African, now 39 years old, went 2-2-1. 

But his decision to join the LIV Golf Tour, which has split the professional game in two, means that the players who have joined the controversial upstart are now ineligible for selection. 

And it appears that the 2010 Open winner believed that because he resigned from the PGA Tour before LIV's opening event in London, he thought that he would still be able to represent Trevor Immelman's side. 

Related: Immelman says LIV Golf "a massive pain in my arse"

In an interview with SI's Bob Harig, Oosthuizen said: "There's a lot of pangs about missing next week. I think of us who are here—Charl [Schwartzel], Brandon [Grace], Carlos [Ortiz] —they would love to be able to play. It's a bit of a stinger.

"I thought by resigning my membership before I did anything wrong really ... there's no rule that says I need to be a PGA Tour member to play the Presidents Cup, especially as an International team player. I didn’t think I did anything wrong.

"I made my decision where I am playing golf. But I didn’t do anything wrong while I was a PGA Tour member. I was a bit disappointed in the decision that I was on the list not being able to play." 

Related: What are the 2022 Presidents Cup teams?

He added: "I feel the most bad for Trev [Immelman]. Trevor's a good friend. We text each other. He knew my decision beforehand. But still, it sucks. I wanted to play for him. He’s going to be a great captain. He was a co-captain last time around with Ernie [Els].

"It just sucks that I can't be around to try and do anything for the team." 

Oosthuizen finished T-6 at LIV's most recent event in Chicago at Rich Harvest Farms, picking up a check for $737,500. 

The South African also spoke to Harig on the topic of world ranking points. Greg Norman, the LIV Golf chief executive, says he thinks it's hypocritical if they are not awarded accreditation. 

Accreditation would provide a pathway for LIV players to participate in golf's four major championships. 

Oosthuizen told Harig that the lack of clarity on this issue made him a little bit hesitant to join LIV.  

Related: Bryson DeChambeau says he has no LIV buyer's remorse

"I was wavering because of that," he told the publication. 

"The biggest thing for me was playing the majors. We're not going to get world ranking points and that's an issue. There are attempts to try and get them but I will probably move out of the top 50 at the end of this year and won't be able to play the majors next year. Hopefully I'll still be able to play in The Open [as a past champion]."

Related: PGA Tour pro wants to "punch" Talor Gooch

He added: "That's the thing. I still have a lot of drive to play major golf. I did make my decision and in the back of my mind I was knowing there would be a possibility of not being able to play in the majors."

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