RUMOUR: LIV Golf ready to swoop in for Ryder Cup REJECT?!

Insider at LIV Golf tells GolfMagic to not be surprised if Cameron Young leaves the PGA Tour after his shock snub from the US Ryder Cup team.

Andy Roberts

30 Aug 2023

RUMOUR: LIV Golf ready to swoop in for shock Ryder Cup REJECT!

An insider at the LIV Golf League has told GolfMagic to "not be surprised if Cameron Young now leaves the PGA Tour" after he was rejected one of Zach Johnson's six picks in the US Ryder Cup team.

Young, 26, was already heavily linked with a move to LIV Golf last season but he decided he wanted to remain on the PGA Tour in a bid to best focus his efforts on making both US Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup teams.

While Young made his debut in the 2022 Presidents Cup team, which won 17.5-12.5 against the Internationals, he failed in his bid to make the 2023 US Ryder Cup team that will face Luke Donald's European team at Marco Simone in Rome at the end of next month.

RUMOUR: LIV Golf ready to swoop in for Ryder Cup REJECT?!

The World No.17 last year explained he wanted to focus on winning major titles, something he has come close to in recent years with a solo second at the 2022 Open Championship and tie for third at the 2022 US PGA Championship.

But Young, who has yet to win a PGA Tour title, confirmed he was "very interested" to join LIV Golf in 2022.

He also said "they have a bunch of good dudes and are doing some cool stuff."

Young revealed last August:

"It's obviously the elephant in the room for everyone. Frankly, throughout the whole process with them [LIV Golf], I was very interested. I think they have a bunch of good ideas and are doing some cool stuff.

"With some of the changes coming [to the PGA Tour], that's kind of what really helped me decide to kind of stay and pursue those goals that I have for myself like making a Presidents Cup team and a Ryder Cup team and winning a major, when all of that is just uncertain if you go.

"That's a tough place for me because, you know, I'm very young and there are a lot of factors."

But after being snubbed one of Johnson's six picks on Tuesday, despite finishing ninth place in the US Ryder Cup points standings, and the Young to LIV Golf rumours are being fuelled once more.

According to an insider who spoke to GolfMagic on Wednesday afternoon, it is understood LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman is going to do his best to lure Young to LIV Golf after being "wrongly" denied a place in the US Ryder Cup team.

An insider at LIV Golf tells GolfMagic:

"I can assure you Cameron Young was very close to joining LIV Golf last season, and it's still very much on the cards.

"Greg Norman really rates his game and definitely thinks he is one of the best young American golfers on the PGA Tour.

"For me personally, I think he was wrongly overlooked in the US Ryder Cup team.

"I also don't think it will have gone down well in the Young camp that someone like Fred Couples said he was already headed to Rome earlier this summer. That was extremely out of order to say that, even if Johnson says it was all in jest. You simply shouldn't be saying things like that in the first place.

"Cameron ranks third in driving distance on the PGA Tour, and he's also in the top 10 for strokes-gained tee to green, both of which will prove valuable assets at Marco Simone. But he got snubbed.

"I think Cameron will be extremely distraught to have missed out on his debut in the US Ryder Cup team, especially when you look at the form of JT [Justin Thomas]. He had set his heart on this, and it was a huge reason why he stuck around at the PGA Tour in the first place.

"Deep down he wanted the move to LIV Golf, and everyone knows that at LIV Golf, but he just felt he was too young to be making such a radical decision in his career. After this week though, I don't think it's quite so radical anymore. He also loves what LIV Golf is doing, and he has plenty of pals on LIV Golf, too.

"I think providing he can still compete in all the four majors, which is obviously a big thing for him, then I would not be surprised in the slightest to see him join LIV Golf very soon.

"I can assure you further discussions will be had with his team now that he has been rejected from the US Ryder Cup team, there is no doubt about that."

Cameron Young to LIV Golf?!
— GolfMagic (@GolfMagic) August 30, 2023

LIV Golf has just three more tournaments left on its 2023 schedule.

The next event takes place in Chicago a week before the Ryder Cup, before attentions turn to Saudi Arabia and then the Miami finale.

It is understood the 2024 LIV Golf schedule will be released before the Ryder Cup.

There had been some suggestion in the industry that LIV Golf would do well to even see out the 2023 season following the shock merger in June between the PGA Tour and LIV's current bankrollers, the Saudi Public Investment Fund.

But according to LIV Golf's chief operating officer Gary Davidson, it is absolutely business as usual.

"We've got multi-year agreements with players, venues, partners and suppliers," Davidson told bunkered last week.

Koepka was the only LIV Golf player to be handed a place in the US Ryder Cup team.

The former World No.1, who won the US PGA for the third time in his career and his fifth major championship earlier this season, finished 7th on the US Ryder Cup standings.

Smash GC captain Koepka will be the only LIV Golf player competing at the 2023 Ryder Cup in Rome at the end of September.

Johnson's 12-man team was completed on Tuesday afternoon as the two-time major champion confirmed his six captain's picks.

The six captain's picks were:

They now join:

Young and Keegan Bradley will no doubt feel the most aggrieved to miss out on the team having both finished inside the top 12 in the US Ryder Cup standings.

As we say, Young was ranked ninth and Bradley was ranked 11th.

But Johnson has decided to opt for players who gel best as a team, which sees those ranked 12th or higher in the standings such as Burns (12th), Fowler (13th) and Thomas (15th) given the nod instead.

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It is understood Burns will team up with his good pal Scheffler, while Fowler and Thomas are best friends with Spieth (8th), who also received a pick.

REVEALED: What the pairings will look like in the US Ryder Cup team!

Morikawa (10th) also got a wildcard to round out the team, which will bid to win the Ryder Cup on Eurpean soil for the first time since 1993.

Team USA are the defending champions, however, having run out record 19-9 winners at Whistling Straits in 2021.

A number of golf fans have since rushed over to Twitter to vent their frustration at Johnson's six picks, with many considering both Young and Bradley should have been favoured over Thomas and Burns.

As a result of being rejected from the US Ryder Cup, Bradley admitted to being "super bummed out".

Bradley has since taken to social media to say he will be "getting behind the US team and will be watching and pulling hard" for them in Rome.

This is my suitcase from 2012 Ryder Cup that I haven’t opened since that Sunday. I promised myself I wouldn’t open it till I won a Ryder Cup. ⁣
⁣
That week changed my prospective on golf forever. The Ryder Cup suddenly became very important to me. pic.twitter.com/RFN6mqeiWH
— Keegan Bradley (@Keegan_Bradley) August 30, 2023

All of the support has been amazing, but it’s time now to get behind this US team.
I’m gonna be watching and pulling as hard as I can for them!
GO USA@rydercup @RyderCupUSA pic.twitter.com/JimmaNjEDi
— Keegan Bradley (@Keegan_Bradley) August 30, 2023

It is also believed 2011 US PGA champion Bradley has been in talks with LIV Golf in recent times, but just not quite in as advanced stages as Young.

Related: Couples make Thomas claim following awkward Young snub!

Although the US Ryder Cup team is backed by the PGA of America, many golf fans consider the PGA Tour has clearly had a word in Johnson's ear with his choice of picks.

That's because just one LIV Golf player has been selected in Koepka, and the likes of Bryson DeChambeau and Dustin Johnson have been overlooked.

Once learning of the six captain's picks in the US Ryder Cup team on Tuesday, Tiger Woods' ex golf coach Hank Haney labelled Johnson's wildcards as the "boys club".

Thomas was the most controversial pick of them all, especially having missed six of his last 12 cuts on the PGA Tour.

That saw him miss out on qualifying for the FedEx Cup Playoffs for the first time in his career earlier this month.

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One PGA Tour winner considers Thomas will be a "total liability" at the Ryder Cup.

Taking a look at a number of comments on Twitter the past 24 hours, and there are plenty of people urging both Young and Bradley to now leave the PGA Tour and prove a point by joining LIV Golf.

Here's a look at some comments:

Cam Young’s snub however may see him edge closer to joining Liv. He has been close over the last 12 months.
— Jack Humphrey (@JackHumphreyDFS) August 30, 2023

And clearly last straw if rumours are true he’s heading to LIV , with Cam Young
— Mr B (@bazzaf65) August 30, 2023

People forget Cam Young made it to the Dell Match Play finals, beating Rory in the Semifinals.
He literally had a match play singles win against Europe’s best and 2 top 10’s in majors
That’s a strong resume to me…pic.twitter.com/t5FzgLMiBs
— PGA/LIV Hot Takes (@PGALIVHotTakes) August 30, 2023

Agree, I wouldn’t doubt it if him, Young or Glover moved to LIV after the Ryder Cup decision
— Shotgun Mulligan (@MulliganShotgun) August 30, 2023

I bet you Cam Young is feeling pretty bad about turning down the bag from Liv at this point....I wonder if he knew then what he knows now that he was going to be treated like an outsider anyway if that would have changed his mind, same with @Keegan_Bradley
— Mike Walsh Sr (@MikeWBaseball) August 30, 2023

In case @livgolf_league needs recruits for 2024, look first for Keegan Bradley, Lucas Glover, and, Cameron Young
Their wounds might heal and LIV might get some real talent onboard
— Anand Datla (@SportASmile) August 29, 2023

Cameron Young, you have one last chance to sign with LIV and get that signing bonus
— Degen Dan (@DS39SportsInfo) August 30, 2023

Cameron Young and Keegan Bradley were both rumored to be negotiating deals with LIV, and now they were both snubbed from the US Ryder Cup team.
I’m hearing this isn’t a coincidence and team golf could be in both of their futures.
— Anthony (@enofftrapini) August 30, 2023

Cameron Young and Keegan Bradley were both rumored to be negotiating deals with LIV, and now they were both snubbed from the US Ryder Cup team.
I’m hearing this isn’t a coincidence and team golf could be in both of their futures.
— LIV Golf Nation (@LIVGolfNation) August 30, 2023

LIV Golf has this week confirmed that "at least four players will be relegated" from their league this season.

There will also be several team transfers, and potentially a few new PGA Tour players joining too.

Could it be Bradley or Young?

Who knows, but you would have to think Young will be one of the favourites to join now.

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