There is a tour going on. The lines have been drawn and the hammers thrown down, but with each declaration from a defecting golfer or a pissed off PGA executive, more and more questions arise. Everyone is focused on whether the LIV golfers will be allowed to play in the major tournaments.
It is safe to assume that any golfer with a win exemption will not be allowed to play in the PGA Championship. The Players' Championship is no longer on the agenda as a stop on the tour. What do you think about the Masters? What about the opens? What do you think about the future of the majors?
It's going to be hard to get golfers into the majors without wins from the LIV tournaments. A ban from the Masters or an inability to qualify for the majors will be red flags for talented younger golfers who aren't looking for a quick payday so much as to become established stars in the sport. The status quo is that stars are made on national television at Augusta and not on the internet.
LIV applied for OWGR points, but they will have to be approved by members of groups that are interested in seeing an opposing tour fail. The voting board, who are seeing some of their best players sell out, are unlikely to do anything to stop that. If you want to compete with the money, you should put your foot down on eligibility to the game's biggest tournaments, which the voters from R&A, thePGA, and USGA will have an opportunity to do.
The Open Tournament hasn't gone either way as of yet, though it's expected that they'll follow the USGA, but for now, the U.S. Open said that LIV players will be allowed to play next weekend at their tournament, rather than changing the criteria this Augusta is known for doing what they want, and while the tournament has a bit of a stuck up, stuffy vibe to it, they also have a rebellion streak. They will most likely stick to their exemption for returning champions, no matter what the tour they are playing on. I need those numbers. Tradition or something.
Without some sort of return on investment, the current spending spree isn't sustainable.
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