All in all, this whole thing was so laughably predictable. For 60 years, professional sports have succeeded by consolidating, not fracturing. This was never going to take off with golf fans. Saudis are going to throw money down a hole for however long they feel like throwing money down a hole, and in spite of endless money, they'll eventually tire of it and this thing will die.

Who does the PGAT want back?

jja79 said:

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Who does the PGAT want back?

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Brooks, Bryson and Rahm are probably the only guys who move the needle at all. Hatton, Niemann, Cam Smith and a few others are solid players they would like to have back as well. But beyond about 8-10 guys, I doubt the tour cares.

Agree. Brooks is on the way back and I'm almost certain Rahm will be too once his contract is up. He just couldn't pass up the absolutely bonkers amount of money, but it's obvious he'd rather be on Tour. Bryson is a different bird, so I could see him staying

But to your point, those are the only 3 needle movers. Anyone else is largely a nice to have or worse. Would be good to get Niemann and Cam Smith back, but their pull is much more international.

DannyDuberstein said:

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Agree. Brooks is on the way back and I'm almost certain Rahm will be too once his contract is up. He just couldn't pass up the absolutely bonkers amount of money, but it's obvious he'd rather be on Tour. Bryson is a different bird, so I could see him staying

But to your point, those are the only 3 needle movers. Anyone else is largely a nice to have or worse. Would be good to get Niemann and Cam Smith back, but their pull is much more international.

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Bryson made some comments this week that re-signing was not a given. But I agree with you, LIV fits his current model of part-time golfer/part-time influencer better. I suspect he saw Brooks' departure as leverage. LIV simply can't afford to lose him now if they want to keep this thing above the minor leagues. He's going to demand an ungodly sum.

**** LIV

uh oh. Who else is leaving

The PGA Tour has this new policy that would allow:

Rahm
Smith
Bryson

to come over for 2026

After Si Woo turned down LIV, Ben An gets the bag and is the new captain of the Korean team that replaces Na's team.

Doesn't look like Ben An was going to qualify for any of the signature events based on rankings and was going to have to play into them. Not a big loss for the Tour if he wants to jump on a sinking ship. 2027 will be very interesting for LIV. Both Rahm and Bryson looked like hostages in the press conference today when pledging their allegiance go LIV.

Agree. LIV missed on all their major targets this off-season. It does appear like they're fully going as an international product, which makes sense and is something they should do.

Also saw DJ signed a new deal with LIV, which is not shocking in the least. That dude truly is on cruise control.