Opposition spread in the US ahead of the 3rd LIV series tournament
| ▲ Patrick Cantlay [AP=연합뉴스] |
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| ▲ Press conference held ahead of the 3rd tournament of the LIV golf series [EPA=연합뉴스] |
Men’s Golf World’s 4th Canterley “I have no plans to go to LIV right now” (Overall)
Opposition spread in the US ahead of the 3rd LIV series tournament
(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Dong-chan Kim = Patrick Cantlay (USA), who ranks 4th in the men’s golf world rankings, vaguely answered the transfer rumors of the Saudi Arabian capital-backed LIV Golf Invitational Series.
Golf Channel, a US golf media outlet, reported on the 28th, “There are many rumors that Cantlay will move to the LIV series.”
The Golf Channel pointed out his ambiguous attitude, saying, “Cantlay has previously responded to rumors regarding a move to the LIV series, saying, ‘There are no plans at this time.’
This contrasts well with Will Chartres (USA), who made clear his intention to remain on the PGA Tour the day before, saying, “Even if I give you all the money in the world, I will not be different from what I am now.”
Cantlay has not won a major championship, but has won 7 of his career on the PGA Tour, and is a player who has been selected as the PGA Tour FedEx Cup Champion and Player of the Year for the 2020-2021 season.
Along with Cameron Smith (Australia), the world’s second-ranked player who won the The Open this year, he is a representative ‘top ranker’ with rumors of a transfer to LIV.
In the 2021-2022 season, he is also ranked 6th in the FedEx Cup points ranking, so there is a possibility of winning the first two consecutive years in the history of the FedEx Cup, which was launched in 2007.
Cantlay said in an interview one day before the opening of the PGA Tour Rocket Mortgage Classic, “The goal is to win the FedEx Cup twice in a row this year as the major tournaments are over.”
If a player who has lost the FedEx Cup, the season champion of the PGA Tour, moves to the LIV series, the damage to the PGA Tour is expected to be significant.
In addition, the British newspaper The Telegraph reported on the 28th that “Bubba Watson (USA), who won the Masters in 2012 and 2014, will participate in the LIV tournament to be held in Boston, USA in early September.” reported
Meanwhile, as the third tournament of the LIV Golf Invitational Series opens at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, USA on the 29th, opposition in the US is expected to intensify.
On the 28th, ESPN, an American sports media outlet, said, “The event will be held only 80km away from the World Trade Center where the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks took place. We are planning a press conference this weekend together.”
During the 9/11 terrorist attacks, many of the hijackers were Saudi Arabian, and due to suspicions that the Saudi government intervened in the 2018 murder of a dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Saudi Arabia, in the United States, the LIV series, which is sponsored by the Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth fund, was used. there is a resentment towards
Terry Strada, the head of the 9/11 survivors’ group, said, “Some players were not ashamed to join the Saudi-sponsored LIV series that was involved in the 9/11 attacks.”
In particular, Paul Casey (England), who has joined the LIV series since the 3rd tournament, is a player who refused to participate in the Saudi Invitational held as a European Tour event in 2019.
However, Casey, who later changed his position and switched to the LIV series, said, “I feel heartbroken when I think of the victims of terrorism.
“I want to play in the Ryder Cup, but I have to accept it if I can’t play in the Ryder Cup (because of the transfer to the LIV series),” he added.
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