'Listen To the Players For Once,' Patrick Reed Said When Asked What the PGA Tour Could Have Done
NORTH PLAINS, Ore. – They were not so much combative as they were blunt. Brooks Koepka, Patrick Reed and Pat Perez are three of the newest members of the LIV Golf Invitational Series, and when it came time to answering questions about their move from the PGA Tour to the controversial circuit, the trio did not hold back.
Asked if there was something the PGA Tour could have done to thwart the LIV Golf effort or improve, Reed said: “Listen to the players for once.’’
Then Perez followed: “I think at least take the call,’’ he said, referring to PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, who has not conversed with LIV CEO and commissioner Greg Norman. “At least take it, see what this is all about. He just shut it off. Maybe they would have listened and maybe it would have been interesting.
Pat Perez said his invitation to LIV Golf at age 46 was comparable to "winning the lottery."
Orlando Ramirez/USA Today
“Somehow, the Tour keeps talking about 'we work for you.’ It’s the opposite.’’
Koepka, the four-time major winner who two weeks ago at the U.S. Open scoffed at LIV Golf questions – his brother, Chase, had played in the first event the week prior – said his affiliation with LIV didn’t occur until after the tournament at The Country Club.
“My opinion changed; that was it,’’ he said. “You guys will never believe me, but we didn’t have the conversation 'til everything was done at the U.S. Open and figured it out and just said I was going to go one way or the other. Here I am.
“Like I said, opinions changed. And I feel very comfortable with the decision I made. I’m happy, and I did what’s best for me.’’
All three players are making their LIV Golf debuts this week at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club, where the 54-hole event begins Thursday.
Reed said he resigned his PGA Tour membership, but both Koepka and Perez said they have not done so.
Perez, 46, said he is in a different position than the others, toward the end of his career, and that he should have the right to play in PGA Tour events if he desires. Critical of Phil Mickelson in February when the LIV venture appeared to be in trouble, he described his opportunity as like “winning the lottery.’’
“I don't think I did anything wrong,’’ Perez said. “Plus, I want the money that I earned from this year. I played 20 events. So I'm still entitled to my FedEx money and whatever this other money that we're talking about. I'm not resigning from anything.
“For me, if I were to do this for four years and I wanted to go back to the Champions Tour at 50, I don't see why I wouldn't be able to. I'm not affecting the Champions Tour in the least. If I took four years off and I still made the money that I'd made, I'm still eligible and exempt for the Champions Tour. So if that was a thing that came up, why would they stop me from playing? I'm not affecting one Champions Tour player.
“I’m still exempt (on the PGA Tour), I don't know why I wouldn't be able to. I think that's what Greg Norman has pushed. You want to be able to play anywhere you want. And you should be able to play wherever you want. We should be able to do whatever we want. We are independent contractors. The Tour has tried to strong-arm us all year and come with bans and suspensions and all that, and how'd that work? Look how many guys are here. That didn't work at all.
“My hope in the end is this all can come together. I think that's what Greg Norman, LIV Group wanted in the first place. The Tour didn't want to go that route. I think in the end, they may have to. So I think it would be nice for them. Greg Norman tried this way back in the day. All of a sudden now I saw the thing on the Golf Channel where all these tours are coming together. That's what everybody wanted anyway. So I don't understand what took so long to get all this. Maybe the threat of this great tour. But that seems to be the common theme here.’’
Perez was referring to the announcement Tuesday that the PGA Tour and DP World Tour had strengthened their alliance in which the top 10 on the DP World Tour Race to Dubai list would be granted full PGA Tour membership.
That is why Perez’ hope seems a distant one at best. Although Monahan last week acknowledged he’d never rule out anything, he has taken steps to strengthen the PGA Tour while issuing indefinite suspensions to those who participate in LIV Golf events.
Last week, Monahan announced several enhancements to the PGA Tour schedule, including scrapping the wraparound schedule and returning to calendar year, enhancing several tournament purses, and announcing a Global Series of big-money, no-cut events that will reward the top 50 in the FedEx Cup standings.
“Now all of a sudden purses now went skyrocketing back up on the PGA Tour,’’ Reed said. “It just shows that they obviously believe this is a true threat.’’
All three players acknowledged that the smaller schedule was a selling point. This week’s tournament at Pumpkin Ridge is the first for the trio, all of whom have signed on for multiple years and will play the remaining events on this year’s schedule.
The plan is for 10 tournaments next year and 14 in 2024, subject to change.
Koepka noted all the injuries he’s suffered in recent years that have kept him from his best recently; Reed, who often plays a heavy schedule with up to 30 events per year, talked about spending more time at home and traveling less.
And Perez told the story about how he missed the birth of his son last year during the Northern Trust tournament because he was on the verge of losing his PGA Tour card and needed to play.
“For me, it’s real simple. I’m 46. I’ve played 515 events,’’ he said. “I've been on the road since 1998. I've been on the road longer than Matt Wolff has been alive. I have an almost 4-year-old. I missed my son's birth last year. August 18, I get a call my wife's going into labor. I'm in Jersey. I'm getting ready to start the FedEx playoffs. I'm 116 on the list. I can't leave. I can't miss it. I can't get back. I can't get there and back without spending 150 grand on a private flight. I'm not doing that.
“So I had to suck on it and I had to miss my son's birth. And fortunately I made the cut and I moved up my status by playing all right, but it still sucked. I have to tell him one day why I wasn't there. And, you know, once again, I'm a 30- to 33-week guy. Every year I've done it and now I don't have to. And I get to be with them. I get to be with my family. At my age this is an absolute golden opportunity for me.’’