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Defending champion Cameron Smith is one of LIV Golf’s ineligible members to appear at The Players this week at TPC Sawgrass;Watch the opening round live on Thursday from 11.30am on Sky Sports Golf
Last updated: 09/03/23 12:06
Matt Fitzpatrick has spoken about LIV golfers before The Players
Matt Fitzpatrick believes players who join LIV Golf will not be allowed to return to the PGA Tour, although he is open to the idea of competing in the Ryder Cup.
Players who have joined the breakaway circuit since its launch last June have been suspended from the PGA Tour, with The Players champion Cameron Smith and Dustin Johnson among the major champions to switch.
Jay Monahan said before The Players that the position on LIV membership has not changed, and there is no current path forward if a player wants to return to the PGA Tour, with Fitzpatrick questioning whether he should be reinstated.
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Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm and PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan discuss the fact that Cameron Smith will not be able to defend his Players Championship title due to his ties to LIV Golf.
“My personal view is you can’t have your cake and eat it too,” Fitzpatrick told Sky Sports News ahead of the Players. “I won’t let people come back once they’ve gone to LIV, I won’t.
“Don’t get me wrong, they can turn around and say you can come and play LIV if you want, but I don’t want to do that. I want to stay here and I want to play the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour. .
“I think it’s unfair for the PGA Tour to do this [allow them back] and I will be staggered if they allow him. I think if you talk to Tiger Woods, he’ll probably have the same attitude, although I don’t know what other people would do.
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Former Players Championship winner Jason Day claims his game continues to improve as he tries to recapture the form he showed when he was world number one, while he claims he doesn’t blame any players for joining LIV Golf.
“If you’ve left a Tour you’ve been on for a long time and done well, then you’ve gone to something you think is better, even if it’s not necessarily greener.”
LIV players in the Ryder Cup?
The European team may have a much-changed line-up for the Ryder Cup this September in Rome, with some strong players and members breaking records in 2021 since moving to LIV.
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David Howell expects Justin Rose to receive a Ryder Cup call from Luke Donald after his win at Pebble Beach last month
2016 top-scorer Thomas Pieters is the latest member to join LIV ahead of the 2023 league season, although all LIV members can earn Ryder Cup qualification points from events that remain eligible to compete.
Asked if the likes of Pieters joining LIV could hurt the European Team, if he is not allowed to play, Fitzpatrick added: “I would say, definitely.
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Former Masters champion Danny Willett discusses why he is struggling for form at TPC Sawgrass, his hopes for this year’s Ryder Cup and what to expect from Scottie Scheffler at the Masters champions dinner.
“Obviously I’ve said not to let him go back to the PGA Tour or the DP World Tour, I totally agree, but the Ryder Cup is a different case.
“For me, I want the 12 best players in the team. I hope I’m one of them, try and win win. That’s the goal, try and win, don’t like who should play. in my opinion.”
Should LIV players be accepted again?
Max Homa has regularly spoken in support of the PGA Tour, although he admits he has conflicted views on whether LIV members should ever be accepted back to the circuit.
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Max Homa says he is conflicted about the possibility of a player from LIV Golf returning to the PGA Tour after his contract with the rival tour expires.
“My selfish and petty side will be frustrated, because I didn’t bother anyone who left,” Homa said in a pre-tournament press conference. “It’s your own choice and you have to do what you believe you have to do. I’m really cool.
“I’m not very close to a lot of guys, but it’s like we’re all involved in this together to push competitive golf and push the game forward. But also kind of smiling at the bottom thinking welcome back for what could have just been done.
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“I think the unselfish side of me and the realistic side of me is that like I said, all the guys you can name that left are good for golf. Champion golfers, interesting golfers, a lot of great stories in their careers.
“I think if I can get rid of the selfish part and maybe put on a big hat, I’ll know that coming back will be a good thing for golf in general.”
Watch the Players throughout the week live on Sky Sports. Live coverage of the opening round starts on Thursday at 11.30am on Sky Sports Golf!
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