Patrick Cantlay to Cameron Young: Which players are rumored to Join LIV Golf next?
The civil war between the controversial LIV Golf series and the PGA Tour is getting messier by the day. And it doesn't look like the conflict will simmer down anytime soon, especially if more golfers defect from the PGA Tour to join the Saudi-backed league.
Ever since the announcement of LIV Golf, the series has drawn severe backlash, right from golf purists to human rights activists. Several prominent players such as Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia, Bryson DeChambeau, and Brooks Koepka chose to join the league. Subsequently, they were barred from the PGA Tour.
As the Saudi-backed league progresses in their debut season, more names of those rumored to be joining the series have cropped up. Key among them are Patrick Cantlay, Cameron Young, Adam Scott, and Jordan Spieth, all of whom have made headlines for supposedly considering LIV's offer.
Fun shooting a 60 out there today! Looking for another low one tomorrow @ShrinersOpen https://t.co/ijpbmOPQDz
Patrick Cantlay had previously claimed that the juicy amount he could have received from the Saudi-backed tour was tempting. However, he later clarified that he had no plans of joining the series at the moment. Although there are no concrete answers from his side about his future in PGA Tour, he was the runner-up at the recently concluded Shriner's Children's Open.
As if LIV Golf didn't already have enough talented Camerons, Cameron Young was also rumored to make his debut in the series. Open runner-up Young was linked to the league all summer long. However, after multiple rounds of back-and-forth, Young finally announced at the FedEx Cup Playoffs that she has decided to stay on the PGA Tour.
Who else is rumored to take part in LIV Golf?
Over the months since the first LIV Golf event, many names have been thrown into the mix of the "will they choose LIV or will they choose PGA Tour again" dilemma.
Along with Patrick Cantalay and Cameron Young, several other athletes have made it to the waiting list. Hideki Matsyumana, Jon Rahm, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler are some of the others who had their names published for possible defection from PGA Tour.
With a whopping sign-on fee, Hideki Matsyumana heightened speculation about joining LIV Golf when he pulled out of the FedEx St. Jude Championship due to a neck injury. However, according to reports, the Japanese golfer is wholly committed to staying and playing on the PGA Tour.
twitter.com/LIVTracking/st…
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Jon Rahm had to personally take to social media to clarify that he had no intention of leaving the PGA Tour when a pro-LIV page claimed that Rahm's inclusion in the controversial series was "indeed a GO". The misspelled name of the Spaniard made the situation funnier.
The next big thing in golf, Jordan Spieth has shut down all rumors claiming that he was joining the production.
Even Rickie Fowler has given no firm answer yet, but he did say:
"I believe the PGA Tour is the best place to play. I would love to see it be that way in the future but some things do need to evolve. So that’s where I’m at.”
So far, several golfers such as Anirban Lahiri, Bubba Watson, and Cameron Smith amongst others will be making their first appearances in the 2023 season.