Admin September 17, 2024
PGA Tour superstar Jordan Spieth says the North American circuit needs time to agree a deal with LIV Golf’s backers.
Spieth stressed the delay in lightning striking is not anyone’s fault in a recent interview with Golfweek.
It was his first public appearance since undergoing surgery on his wrist and the golfer has revealed he plans to be back in action in January.
“The best players at the top levels have significantly benefited from this scenario that’s probably unsustainable,” Spieth told the publication when asked about the current state of the men’s game.
“And hopefully, that’s currently being worked out. It’s just between the two sides, two tours, the government being involved.
“You know, it’s not as easy as hey, ‘everybody, let’s just get together and figure this out in an hour.’
“I’ve been very involved in all that, and I can assure you that as annoying as it probably seems from the outside it’s just it’s not anyone’s fault.
“It’s just the process of what needs to happen. It’s just going to take a little time.”
Spieth replaced Rory McIlroy on the policy board last November.
The Northern Irishman stressed his dramatic resignation was nothing more than an attempt to focus more on playing professional golf.
But he later admitted he felt like banging his head against a brick wall as his voice wasn’t being heard.
McIlroy was reportedly asked to return to the fold by one of his allies, Jimmy Dunne, to help break the impasse between the tours.
Dunne has since quit.
But the decision for McIlroy to return received pushback, reportedly from Spieth, Patrick Cantlay and even Tiger Woods.
It is unclear what the current stumbling blocks are between the PGA Tour and the Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan insisted talks are ‘accelerating’ between the parties during a news conference in Atlanta last month.
But Monahan refused to put a deadline when an agreement must be made.
Over the weekend, it was reported that LIV tried to strike a deal with the DP World Tour.
Sports Illustrated reported LIV officials met with DP World Tour representatives in August and proposed eliminating all of the fines Rahm and other golfers have accrued.
In return, LIV proposed tweaking their schedule to avoid clashes with the DP World Tour, offered millions of dollars for purses and also said it would create an exemption category into the Asian Tour’s International Series events.
The deal was rejected, the report said, because of the DP World Tour’s ‘strategic alliance’ with the PGA.
Spieth injury update
Spieth went under the knife to repair damage to his left wrist after he crashed out of the FedEx Cup playoffs.
The problem has been lingering since May 2023 and the golfer said he pondered getting surgery sooner.
“I would say the number one reason why I ended up getting it done was because it affects my way of life at home,” he told Golfweek.
Jordan Spieth
“Like when it would dislocate and I couldn’t get it back in, it would happen when I’m getting my daughter out of the bath, I’m putting a sweatshirt on or it just so random that it was like, I didn’t want it to continue and it happened more and more.
“And it wasn’t going to heal itself based on a number of different docs and scans and whatever. So it’s just inevitable.”
Spieth also said he plans to be back in action next January.
