Reuters
Golf – The inaugural LIV Golf Invitational – Centurion Club, Hemel Hempstead, St Albans, Britain – June 10, 2022 South Africa’s Justin Harding of the Hy Flyers team in action during the second round REUTERS/Paul Childs
Reuters
Golf – The inaugural LIV Golf Invitational – Centurion Club, Hemel Hempstead, St Albans, Britain – June 10, 2022 South Africa’s Justin Harding of the Hy Flyers team in action during the second round REUTERS/Paul Childs
The LIV Golf Series has received a wave of criticism over its very existence. A considerable number of fans believe that the rebel league shouldn’t exist due to its funding source, which comes from the PIF, the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia. Others have lamented the league’s hardships in gaining sponsorship deals, which has turned LIV Golf into a laughing stock. But Thomas Pieters, the newest member of the LIV Golf Series, has claimed the league is awaiting plenty of new sponsors, but under a condition.
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Thomas Pieters claims LIV Golf is attracting several sponsors
Known for his exploits on the DP Tour, Pieters joined the newly-formed RangeGoats GC for LIV Golf’s second season. He recently appeared on the golf show, Fore Play Golf, where the Belgian was asked about several topics relating to his new adventure.
Read more: LIV Golf Defector Labels PGA Tour as ‘Lonely’ While Appreciating the Rival League
While discussing LIV Golf, the conversation veered towards the business side of the league, on which the hosts of the show painted a sorry picture. But contrary to the claims, Pieters revealed that numerous sponsors were waiting to join hands with the league.
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ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – JANUARY 23: Thomas Pieters of Belgium celebrates with his caddie Adam Marrow on the eighteenth green after putting in to win the championship during the Final Round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at Yas Links Golf Course on January 23, 2022 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
But what has delayed the news of these associations? According to Pieters, the lawsuit between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour has become a roadblock for the sponsors, with a decision keenly awaited.
“I’m not gonna name brands or companies, but they’re kind of awaiting all these lawsuits. And, you know, some of these companies have big, big markets in Saudi or, anywhere else, and I think they want us to bolster, but they’re just kind of, you know, holding back right now,” Pieters said.
Diving into the lawsuit between the PGA Tour and the LIV Series
The inception of the LIV Golf Series irked a number of people, but it pierced through the PGA Tour’s self-esteem. Some of the tour’s best players were poached, and while many gave sympathetic reasons for their switch, the feeling deep down was concerned with LIV’s financial muscle.
The PGA Tour has since suspended the LIV defectors from playing in its competitions. Initially, ten players from the PIF-funded league prepared a lawsuit to challenge the claim, which gave birth to a court battle between the two golf bodies, which is still ongoing to this day.
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Written by
Edited by
Manaal Siddiqui