October 27, 2022, 4:55 PM
October 27, 2022, 4:55 PM
Former US President Donald Trump said Thursday that the PGA “wasted a great opportunity” to reach an understanding with LIV Golf, the new circuit that emerged this year with the support of Saudi Arabia.
Trump, who will host the last event of the LIV season from Friday at his Trump National field near Miami, Florida. he showered praise on the new competition and its Saudi sponsors.
“The (PGA) tour really blew a great opportunity and Now they are in a much more difficult position.”Trump told reporters after playing 18 holes in the Pro Am competition.
“It’s a great timebig money, unlimited money. They really love golf and the Saudis have done a fantastic job.”
Asked if LIV represents the future of golf, Trump was more cautiousbut blamed PGA leaders for the schism in the sport.
“I don’t know, I think that in the end maybe something will be solvedbut the circuit has handled it very badly, the people at the top… something should happen to them, they have handled it very badly,” he said.
“They are dealing with very good people with unlimited money. Something could have been solved very easily and the circuit decided to avoid it, that did not go very well for them,” he said.
LIV Golf, financed by the public investment fund of Saudi Arabia, has made an unprecedented investment in this sport that allowed it to recruit PGA figures such as Dustin Johnson, Phil Mickelson or Sergio García, who were later suspended of the American circuit.
At this weekend’s LIV event offers a prize pool of 50 million dollars.
Critics of the new circuit claim that it is a new strategy of the Saudi regime to whitewash its international image in the face of complaints of human rights violations.
Nowadays, PGA and LIV have several legal battles with no signs that they can reach an agreement to resolve the conflict.
World number one Rory McIlroy, one of the PGA’s biggest supporters, said this week that he feared the breakup was “irreparable”.
