Viktor Hovland, Xander Schauffele out of Phoenix Open
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Viktor Hovland of Norway during the second round of the Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament in California on Feb 2.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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PHOENIX – US Open champion Wyndham Clark said he spoke with LIV Golf representatives over a potential switch to the Saudi Arabia-backed circuit but, when he thought about his “legacy” in the game, he opted to stick with the PGA Tour – for this season at least.
The 30-year-old moved up to sixth in the world rankings after he was declared the winner of the Pebble Beach Pro-Am, which was reduced to 54 holes due to weather conditions in Northern California on Feb 4.
Englishman Tyrrell Hatton became the latest high-profile name to jump ship to LIV in January, joining a team led by Masters champion Jon Rahm, who made a big-money move in December.
Clark said he was interested to see what kind of proposal LIV would put forward. “I wanted to see what they could bring to the table,” he told reporters ahead of this week’s Phoenix Open.
“I ultimately declined going to LIV because I felt like I still have a lot of things left in the tank on the PGA Tour and I wanted to chase records, I wanted to chase world ranking.
“My dream is to try to be one of the top players in the world, if not the top player. I just grew up always imagining winning PGA Tour events. So I ultimately chose my legacy over LIV... that’s really what it came down to.”
Clark said Adam Scott, Patrick Cantlay, Jordan Spieth and Tiger Woods gave him advice as he tried to come to a decision over his future.
“I don’t know what the future holds with my career and what the PGA Tour and LIV are going to do. But at least for this season, I am 100 per cent set on the PGA Tour and I want to try to get to as high in the world as I possibly can,” he added.
Norwegian star Viktor Hovland, who pulled out of the Phoenix Open on Feb 5, has repeatedly denied talk of a potential move to LIV, saying as recently as December that he doubted that would be a future consideration, despite also criticising the PGA Tour’s leadership.
The world No. 4’s withdrawal, however, has naturally sparked rumours of a potential move to LIV Golf, even though he has committed to next week’s Genesis Invitational at Riviera.
“I don’t think their product is that great. I’m not such a fan of, for example, playing without a cut,” Hovland said in Norwegian, as translated by Eurosport Norway during an appearance on the Fore podcast.
“You need the competition with 150 players and a cut. If you don’t play well enough, you’re out. There is something about it that makes your game a little sharper.
“If I had gone to LIV, I don’t think I would have become a better golfer. And then it is, in a way, end of discussion.” REUTERS
