Former Masters champion Tom Watson revealed his anger at the PGA Tour for allowing an easy pathway for a LIV Golf star to come back to the world’s most popular golf league.
Watson joined Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player for the ceremonial opening tee shot for the first round of The Masters at Augusta National.
After the tee shot, he bemoaned how easy the PGA Tour went on Brooks Koepka when he applied to return to the circuit.
‘The Tour made a decision to renege on what they promised when the players left for LIV,’ Watson said.
‘They felt that the compensation that he’s paid is good enough. I thought the LIV players, when they left, they were supposed to be banned for life.
‘If I was commissioner, that’s what I would do. I’d say if you’re finished with your contract with LIV Golf, if you want to play the PGA Tour again, you come back, and you must play the Korn Ferry Tour for a year to qualify for it. They saw it differently.
Former Masters champion Tom Watson believes LIV Golfers shouldn’t have had an easy path to return to the PGA Tour like the one offered to multiple former major winners on the Saudi tour
Brooks Koepka was given a path back into the tour and will face financial punishments
Patrick Reed has also been working his way back into the tour after serving a suspension
‘When the players left, they violated the No. 1 rule that we really had out here, which is to protect the sponsors.’
Watson also believes that the $5million charitable contribution that was a condition of his return to the Tour wasn’t enough of a punishment. He also believes a ban should have been implemented.
Allowing high-profile LIV players to return to the tour has been a newly implemented policy for recently installed PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp.
The ‘Returning Member Program’ was also extended to Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau and Cameron Smith – all of whom have won major championships. However, the trio still remains with LIV.
Another player attempting to return to the PGA Tour is former Masters winner Patrick Reed, who was not eligible for the program.
Instead, he is working on a pathway back to the PGA Tour after serving a one-year suspension.
