Gary Player is one of the most outspoken figures in the professional game today.
Player won 159 professional tournaments worldwide during his career, including nine major championships, so he is more than qualified to offer his opinion on all matters concerning our wonderful game.
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Back in May, the 90-year-old South African opened up on the future of LIV Golf and, indeed, the problems that the PGA Tour could soon face.
It was announced in April that Saudi Arabia’s PIF would be withdrawing their funding from LIV Golf at the end of the 2026 season.
Photo by Kenneth Richmond/Getty Images
From that point onwards, the PGA Tour have been in a position of real strength.
However, Gary Player offered a warning for the PGA Tour back in May, while discussing the fallout from PIF pulling their financial support from LIV.
The prediction that Gary Player made about LIV Golf in May
Back in May, Player sat down to speak with Kevin Van Valkenburg from Fried Egg Golf about a wide range of topics.
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The South African was asked to share his opinion on the state of LIV Golf at the time and he made a prediction about what could lie ahead for the league.
“Well, when you look at LIV as it is, I don’t know how much was spent on LIV every week and in its entirety, but it’s billions,“ Player explained.
Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
“Is there anybody else that’s going to take that up?
“It’s unlikely (that LIV will operate with the same finances).
“I’m not saying it won’t happen, but to that degree, you might find somebody saying, ‘Well, we’ll take it over, but we’ll cut the prize money’, or some theory.“
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Gary Player warned the PGA Tour they could face ‘big problem’
The nine-time major champion explained how the biggest stars on LIV wanting to return to the PGA Tour could prove to be extremely problematic.
“It’s a big problem that we’re facing now because these guys took the money, they made their bed and that’s fine, that was a choice,“ Player said.
“That’s the great thing about America. You have a choice. But now if they want to come back, these other guys that have fulfilled the role, are you going to kick them in the a––? No. So now how do you bring them back?
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“Whatever reason there is for accepting them back, there is going to have to be some sacrifice, some penalty, something. They cannot just say, ‘I’m coming back’.
“Whatever it is, I don’t know. I’m not running the Tour, but it’s a big problem. And the thing that’s so sad about it all is the separation of the tours.“
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