Smith says tour pros are still 'p***** off' with European LIV Golf players

According to Smith, LIV Golf had 'seen their business idea wasn't quite working'.

11 Jul 2023

Smith says tour pros are still 'p***** off' with European LIV Golf players

Jordan Smith claims LIV Golf 'had seen their business idea wasn't quite working' as he revealed there are still a lot of tour pros who are 'p***** off' with those who bolted to the rival league.

In comments to bunkered's Ben Parsons, the 30-year-old DP World Tour pro, like others, stated he was shocked at the proposal to bring the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf's backers together under the umbrella of a new, for-profit company.

"I didn't think anyone expected it to happen that soon," he told the publication.

He added:

"There's a few players that have p***** off a lot of people here.

"Only a handful of [DP World Tour] events they've lost a few players. A few of the LIV players used to go and play the event in Hamburg [European Open] and at Wentworth so there's only two or three tournaments where those guys turned up.

"Obviously, it would be great to see those guys back playing here. It would draw in crowds and they're big names stars so it would help the tournaments."

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Smith is undoubtedly referring to the likes of Ryder Cup Europe legends Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia, Henrik Stenson and Graeme McDowell.

All five players joined the rival league for mind-boggling fees in 2022 and faced a huge amount of criticism.

They were accused of being greedy. Of being complicit in sportswashing and accepting blood money.

Other leading players, such as Tiger Woods, said LIV golfers had 'turned their backs' on what made them.

Stenson's decision also saw the Swede stripped of his Ryder Cup captaincy. The Swedish Golf Federation also severed their ties with the 2016 Open winner.

All three players appeared in good spirits at what has transpired over the last few weeks at LIV Golf's event at Centurion Club just outside of London last week.

| Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter have opened up on their decisions not to try and qualify for the forthcoming Open. pic.twitter.com/xhvOwVbn0P
— GolfMagic (@GolfMagic) July 5, 2023

Westwood stopped short of saying he felt 'vindicated' by the about-face decision by the DP World Tour, PGA Tour to do business with the very same group of people the organisations had criticised and taken to court.

Poulter went a step further and suggested heads should roll in the corridors of power as he explained his decision to skip final Open qualifying.

Smith continued:

"A few guys will be a bit annoyed with a select few that would be coming back. It hasn't affected the tour massively but when those few guys do come back it will hopefully boost the tournaments and crowds.

"I don't think anyone expected it to happen that soon. It was a shock. But I think LIV had probably seen that their business idea wasn't quite working.

"They had a lot of money going out and they didn't really have a TV deal and the crowds they were getting were nowhere near what they were expecting."

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Smith says tour pros are still 'p***** off' with European LIV Golf players

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