It’s probably no surprise that the mention of Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy’s joint venture with the PGA Tour ‘TGL’ hasn’t gone down well in LIV circles.
Ian Poulter has revealed how LIV rebels look down on the virtual golf league which takes place inside a dome with an audience involving teams paying against each other on a virtual golf course with a special short game area. It could be classed as indoor LIV.
Poulter said one player feels the virtual golf league is just a ploy to line the pockets of Woods and McIlroy and would not have started if LIV didn’t exist.
“Will you be turning in on a Tuesday night to watch guys hitting it into a screen?” one player said to me. “It’s a blatant fop to Tiger and Rory to keep them onside and earn them millions of guess what ‘guaranteed money,” Poulter told The Telegraph.
The Englishman feels the virtual golf league is just another stint in a long series of celebrities trying to get involved with team sports.
“Everyone – big businesses, celebrities, sports stars – suddenly want to get in with team sports,” he said.
“Look at Wrexham [Football Club] with those Hollywood actors and other superstars at other teams, clubs and franchises.
“Look at the news in F1 [with McIlroy joining the likes of Anthony Johsua and Trent Alexander investing in the Alpine team]. It’s not just the potential profit margin, it’s being involved and the fun to be had. It’s a win, win. Everyone wants a bit and I think LIV has been a leader in this, yeah. Definitely in golf.”
Poulter also revealed that Yasir Al-Rumayyan has assured him that LIV Golf will continue to flourish despite some difficulties surrounding the provisionally agreed merger between PIF, PGA and DP World Tours.
“I talked to his Excellency last week [at the LIV event in Jeddah],” Poulter said. “He told me, never mind 2024, 2025 – LIV will go and on.”
“He is passionate as he was at the very beginning in all this. He loves the concept, loves how it’s progressing and the impact it’s made and is making. You see it throughout the sports world, not only in golf.”
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