'What We Have is Pretty Good Too': Players React to Denial of LIV Golf Releases

'Everyone's entitled to what they want,' Justin Thomas said of players considering LIV Golf. But that's not entirely true if there are repercussions from the PGA Tour.

The PGA Tour has denied players seeking conflicting-event releases to play in the first LIV Golf Invitational Series event next month. That doesn’t mean some members won’t go to the $25 million tournament anyway.

Who defies the release decree from PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan – as well as the one issued by the DP World Tour which will also not grant releases to its members – likely won’t be known for a couple of weeks. The LIV Golf Invitational Series is not expected to announce its 48-player field until later this month.

While the decision may have come as somewhat of a surprise because the PGA Tour has traditionally granted releases to players who are in good standing and request them to overseas events, it was not viewed that way by some.

“I would hope it would deter them from going over there,’’ said Justin Thomas of players who want to play in the first event at the Centurion Club outside of London, June 9-11. Thomas was speaking at the AT&T Byron Nelson Championship.

“Jay’s made it very clear from the start, what would happen. I think a lot of people are probably like, 'I can’t believe he did this' or 'wow, he went through with it.’ But this is what he said was going to happen all along.

“He just doesn’t want the competing tour, the back and forth. Look, if you want to go, I mean there’s been plenty of guys that have been advocates of it and have talked it up all the time, and there have been guys behind the scenes that are saying, 'I’m going, I’m doing this.’ And my whole thing is, just go then. Stop going back and forth. Everybody’s entitled to what they want, you know what I mean?’’

But therein lies the issue. As it now stands, at least according to the PGA Tour, players do not have the ability to do what they want. At least not without repercussions.

Among those known publicly to have sought releases to play the event were Phil Mickelson, Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia and Martin Kaymer.

As a member of the PGA Tour, a player is required to play a minimum of 15 events. He is typically granted up to three conflicting-events releases, with the ability to get more if certain other stipulations are met.

To defy that would likely mean some sort of penalty. Monahan has said in the past that being banned from the PGA Tour was a possibility, although he was speaking about those who joined the planned LIV Golf league.

The league plans were put on hold for two years in the wake of Phil Mickelson’s reported comments in February that were both critical of the PGA Tour and the Saudi regime, which is backing the LIV Golf venture. He lost sponsorships over the controversy and has not played in a golf tournament for more than three months.

The reigning PGA champion is not assured of defending his title next week at Southern Hills.

The original LIV plan, with Greg Norman, as commissioner, was to launch a 14-tournament league this year. Tournaments would be 54 holes, with just 48 players. Included would be a team format of 12 four-man teams.

Those plans were scrapped and replaced with a series of eight events this year and 10 next year, none part of a league but all offering big purses and the opportunity to play in any or all, however a player chose to do it. The event next month has a $25 million purse, with $20 million for the individual portion, $4 million to the winner and $120,000 for last place. Several players were likely to also get guaranteed appearance money as well.

How that field now shakes out remains to be seen. Several dozen players requested releases.

“We’ve had a lot of talks behind closed doors about it,’’ said Will Zalatoris, who is on the PGA Tour’s Player Advisory Council – a group that passes along its views to the PGA Tour Policy Board. “If you want to do it, no one's stopping you, but what we have here is pretty good too, considering every week we're playing for a pretty great purse on pretty great golf courses and considering the benefits that we have off the golf course on top of that, it's pretty tough to beat.

“And purses are only going up here, but on top of that, like I said, no one's stopping anyone from doing it, but I think everyone agrees that the decision that came out yesterday is the best for the Tour. I thought that the decision was, quite frankly, I thought that was the perfect response from the Tour. Because we're in a great place, the Tour's in the best spot it's ever been, it's only going to get better and why would we want to encourage our players to get releases for those events when essentially we have all these sponsors that are involved with the Tour and are only making it better and better.’’

Tyler Dennis, the PGA Tour executive who sent the memo to players, said the decision was in the best interest of the Tour.

Norman, a two-time major champion and Hall of Famer who long ago squabbled over these same issues as a player, countered that his group is not going away.

“The Tour’s action is anti-golfer, anti-fan and anti-competitive,’’ Norman said in a part of a statement. “But no matter what obstacles the PGA Tour puts in our way, we will not be stopped. We will continue to give players options that promote the great game of golf globally.’’