27 March 2024 , 05:00
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PGA Tour stalwart Chris DiMarco believes Phil Mickelson and others deserve the eye-watering amounts of money paid out to them for making the move to LIV Golf.
A whole host of PGA Tour stars - led by Mickelson - were handed lucrative offers to join the LIV setup and have gone on to compete for mega-money purses all while playing less golf. From the outset, those who made the Saudi switch were heavily criticised, but one man who has no issue with breakaway league is DiMarco, insisting he would have accepted the offer if it came his way.
"They wanted to play for a lot of money, and they deserve it. They have had some great careers, why not go and get some money?" the three-time PGA Tour winner told the Subpar Podcast.
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"I saw Graeme McDowell at the Old Memorial Pro Member, and he goes, 'Listen, I went up to Jay Monahan and said I love the tour but I am struggling to keep my card and these guys are offering me all this money and less golf. I’m sorry, I’m going.' And I do not blame him one bit, and I said I would have too."
DiMarco - who now plays his golf on the Champions Tour - became the latest pro to criticise commissioner Jay Monahan's handling of the PGA Tour's recent saga created by their LIV rivals. Initially, Monahan took a zero-tolerance approach to the Saudi setup, banning any player that opted to defect.
Jay Monahan's handling of the saga has been criticised (Getty Images)Last June though, the commissioner shocked the world of golf, making a dramatic u-turn by announcing a framework agreement with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF) - LIV's funders. While negotiations with PIF remain ongoing, it is expected that as part of a deal, those who left will be offered a path back to the PGA Tour.
Monahan's change in stance is one that has not gone down with a number of players, including DiMarco. "Not to bash Jay Monahan, but I think he handled it terribly," he added. "In the beginning have the cut and dry [stance] that he did, I think it was a little too much.
"I think he should have let some of this soak in and see what was going to happen, and he just got to a point where it got black and white, that’s it. I think he could have done a little bit better of a job with that, the guys had stuck by. Like Rory McIlroy, these guys have turned down a lot of money and what do they have to show for it? These guys get to come back and play, I’d be pretty ticked off if I was them."