"Giving young people a good time"- Eddie Pepperell praises LIV Golf, gives 'credit where credit’s due'
European Tour star Eddie Pepperell recently spoke out about LIV Golf's purpose in the world of pro golf, highlighting the positives of the Saudi-backed league. He credited LIV for being able to bring in a young crowd.
Eddie Pepperell said that the younger crowd has a different outlook towards golf and are not as attracted to the 'competitive' element of the sport. The feeling of thrill is what LIV Golf has managed to bring according to Pepperell. Talking about the league via Flushing It (a Golf X account), he said:
"I don’t think the competitive spirit of an event is connecting with young people anymore. For whatever reason. But they want to go somewhere - and young people are drinking less - but they want to feel something."
Eddie Pepperell gave LIV Golf credit for being able to deliver to the younger audience. While he did question the sustainability of the series, he could not deny the good work that they had done. He added:
"To LIV’s credit, and it needs to be said, they are delivering on that front. It’s unusual that it’s in reverse of what we’ve seen in the past with other sports, but credit where credit’s due. It’s costing them a lot of money. Whether it’s sustainable, I have my doubts. But at this point they are giving young people a good time at their events and they should be applauded for that.”
LIV Golf is currently in its third season, with stars including Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton.
Eddie Pepperell says that the world is witnessing the 'demise of golf'
Eddie Pepperell recently spoke about the demise of golf, with the PGA Tour and LIV Golf controversy overshadowing a majority of the last few seasons. With Rory McIlroy resigning from the PGA Tour policy board, and the PGAT announcing a shock merger with the PIF, Pepperell thinks this is the beginning of the end of golf.
Speaking via National Club Golfer, he said:
"They care for themselves, their own back pockets, their own bank accounts and that’s it, and I think they fail to see the bigger picture and the bigger picture is unravelling, albeit quite slowly in front of us, and we’re witnessing, in some ways, the demise of professional men’s golf."
Pepperell said that McIlroy should be on the PGA Tour policy board, emphasising that he could be one of the golfers that could actually get things moving between the PIF and the PGA Tour.
The merger has made progess since last year, with Jay Monahan giving an update in June, during the Travelers Championship. Monahan said that he would not be negiotiating in the media, but did give the following statement (via Golf Digest):
“I know you're eager to know more. I will go back to the meeting that we had just two Fridays ago in New York where our entire transaction committee, including Tiger Woods and Adam Scott being in person, and Rory [McIlroy] dialing in from the Memorial Tournament alongside Yasir Al-Rumayyan and representatives of the PIF. It was a very productive discussion.”
As of now, LIV Golfers and PGA Tour players are both at the Paris Olympics, playing the men's golf event.