Reuters
Golf – The 151st Open Championship – Royal Liverpool, Hoylake, Britain – July 19, 2023 The silhouette of Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy on the 17th green is pictured during a practice round REUTERS/Phil Noble
Reuters
Golf – The 151st Open Championship – Royal Liverpool, Hoylake, Britain – July 19, 2023 The silhouette of Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy on the 17th green is pictured during a practice round REUTERS/Phil Noble
The rivalry between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf is raging higher than ever! With the deadline of December 31 crossed, the future of Tour’s merger with the PIF is up in the air. Furthermore, the Saudi-backed league is poaching players from them, leading to a bitter rivalry.
Amidst all this chaos, another PGAT pro has withdrawn from the upcoming WM Phoenix Open 2024. This raised the eyebrows of many golf fans, who wondered if the pro had switched sides. But diving deeper into the topic brings out the actual reason, which is quite hilarious!
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Another PGA Tour pro out of WM Phoenix Open 2024
In a shocking turn of events, Lucas Glover withdrew from the WM Phoenix Open. The six-time PGA Tour winner was scheduled to start on Thursday but was not there. This led to fans believing he joined the rival league without notice. But the actual reason was an honest mistake.
USA Today via Reuters
Aug 13, 2023; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Lucas Glover after his tee shot on the second hole during the final round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
“I just misread my text messages. I’m kicking myself but laughing at myself at the same time,” Glover told ‘Golf Channel’. This led to him mistaking his tee time of 8:26 AM and ultimately missing it. The PGA Tour player was relaxing in his hotel when he was informed he had one minute left for his tee time. Since then, Ryo Hisatsune has replaced him for the WM Phoenix Open.
While Glover is not switching sides, his disappearance causes Jay Monahan and Co. to worry. Many PGA Tour pros have withdrawn from events at the last moment and switched sides.
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Players who withdrew from events to join LIV Golf
Leaving the Tour at the last minute and joining the breakaway league has become a trend in recent times. The latest example is Adrian Meronk. The Polish golfer was scheduled to tee off at the Farmers Insurance Open this year. But he joined Cleeks GC on LIV Golf instead.
Reuters
Golf – LIV Golf Mayakoba – El Camaleon Mayakoba Golf Course, Playa del Carmen, Mexico – February 4, 2024, Legion XIII’s Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton, Kieran Vincent, and Caleb Surratt pose with the team’s trophy after winning the LIV Golf Mayakoba REUTERS/Raquel Cunha
Another golfer to do it this year was Tyrrell Hatton. His name was announced to play at the 2024 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. However, he left the Tour and joined Jon Rahm on his LIV Golf team.
With this becoming a common occurrence, whenever a pro withdraws from an event, it raises speculation about their switch. The same happened with Viktor Hovland and Xander Schauffele when they withdrew from the WM Phoenix Open 2024.
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Written by
Edited by
Garima Yadav