"I can't see what the future is"- Justin Rose cannot see LIV Golf x PGA Tour merger being successful
Recent reports have suggested that a definitive agreement between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) might be close, but Justin Rose is not so sure. According to the Englishman, the outcome of the negotiations is not in line with the interests of most players.
One of the ideas currently being discussed is the creation of a so called 'world tour'. The idea is that the best players in the world would play in it, regardless of which circuit they are a member of.
Rose recently spoke out on the subject, pointing out how busy the world golf season is already. He also stated that many players would choose to maintain a schedule of 20 to 25 tournaments a year, regardless of the amount of money at stake.
This was part of what Justin Rose had to say at the press conference:
"I can't quite see what the future is in terms of us coming back together because I think you're still limited to the fact that there's only a certain amount of weeks that the top players want to play."
He added:
"So you can create this league, that league, this tour, supplement with this, but if it accumulates to 30 tournaments, you're still going to get players choosing, no matter how much money you put up, not to play."
Bloomberg reported a few weeks ago that the PGA Tour and PIF were close to reaching a final agreement during a meeting in New York following the TOUR Championship.
According to the report, the deal fell through due to disagreements over a possible path for current LIV Golf players to return to the American-based circuit.
Justin Rose on Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton: "There's quite a simple pathway for them"
At the same press conference, Justin Rose spent a good deal of time discussing various Ryder Cup-related topics, including the possibility of Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton being considered for the European team.
One journalist asked Rose if he could imagine a team without Rahm and Hatton, to which the Englishman replied that it would not be too difficult for them to be considered:
"There's quite a simple pathway for them to be on the team...I think if they choose to cooperate or go with the structure that's in place, they'll absolutely be on the team."
Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton must play in at least four events in 2024 to retain their DP World Tour cards. European Tour membership is a mandatory requirement to be considered for the Ryder Cup team.
Both players have more than lived up to their billing on the European Tour, not only in terms of playing, but also in terms of the quality of their play. Rahm finished second at the Open de España, while Hatton won the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship for the third time in his career.