“A year later now everybody is friends again” - Bubba Watson, others comment on one year of LIV Golf as it returns to Centurion Club
Despite the raging criticism and noise, LIV Golf has been thriving in the past year. The controversial breakaway series is currently in its second season and has managed to expand since its inaugural event last June.
Ahead of the second edition of LIV Golf London, several players came out to react to the breakaway series completing one year. While many lauded it, a few took jabs at critics, including the PGA Tour. Players like Bubba Watson, Cameron Smith and Lee Westwood once again backed the breakaway tour and said that it was here to stay.
While reacting to LIV’s successful year, Watson addressed the PIF’s recent alliance deal with the PGA Tour. Commenting on the development, the ace golfer said that “everybody is friends again” after a year of fighting.
Bubba Watson said, as quoted by Golfweek:
“It’s great… But when you look back at the hostility, yeah, it’s sad that we were in that… that we had those problems, name calling. Everybody is trying to do a job. If you all change over news stations, nobody yells at you for changing over news. It’s the same news but different station.”
He added:
“It’s been a fun year. Hopefully, we can get behind it and the game of golf grows and we do some great things. Another $3 billion to charities puts the PGA Tour at $6 billion would be a good thing for the game of golf. That’s the whole goal of all these tournaments is to grow the game, and when we say grow the game, get more people to play golf, even if it doesn’t matter what the age is… All the name-calling and yelling are just sad. A year later now everybody is friends again.”
Both @bubbawatson and @Graeme_McDowell gave their thoughts on their relationship and trust of golf media given their portrayal over the past 12 months.
Love these answers from them, very open and honest insight here. Hats off to both!
Great question from @Sean_Zak as well. https://t.co/C6yoYg0RM1
LIV golfers back series ahead of its return to London
Former PGA Tour star Cameron Smith also lauded LIV Golf. Commenting on the series’ growth over the year, the Aussie stated that he thinks “team golf is here to stay.”
Dubbing LIV as “unique,” Smith said:
“I really can’t see LIV Golf going away. I think team golf is here to stay, and if you asked every one of us out here, all the 48 guys, I think everyone has such a good time and everyone enjoys what they’re doing out here, they love the competition, and like Graeme said, that team element really brings three or four guys really close that perhaps weren’t before… It’s good to see. It’s unique. I don’t think it’s going anywhere.”
Ian Poulter, Henrik Stenson and Charl Schwartzel were other big-name golfers who heaped praises on the success of LIV Golf. Meanwhile, ace golfer Lee Westwood took the opportunity to laud the Saudi-backed series’ commissioner Greg Norman. He said that the players are “delighted” with the way Norman handled problems.
It is pertinent to note that LIV returns to Centurion Club this week. It’ll be the first time it is playing a course twice since its inaugural event here last June.