Brooks Koepka’s victory at the PGA Championship earlier this month kept LIV Golf and the competitors associated with the organization at the forefront of the sport, especially with the Ryder Cup just around the corner.
Jack Nicklaus will host PGA Tour golfers at his Memorial Tournament this week without those who jumped into the Saudi-backed series. It means 2018 Memorial winner Bryson DeChambeau won’t be on the Ohio field either. But to Nicklaus, all of that seemed fine.
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Jack Nicklaus reacts to a putt during The Ally Challenge at Warwick Hills Golf And Country Club on August 27, 2022 in Grand Blanc, Michigan. (Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)
“El Oso de Oro” made his opinion clear, once again, about what he thinks of those from LIV Golf.
«I don’t even consider those guys part of the game anymore. I don’t mean that in a nasty way. This is a PGA Tour event and we have the best course possible for a PGA Tour event for those who are eligible to be here.» he said, via Golfweek. «The other guys chose what they did and where they went and we didn’t even talk about it.»
He added: «There were certain players that it was probably the right thing for. But it wasn’t for me, it wasn’t for what my legacy was. Obviously, I started what the Tour is here.»
Jack Nicklaus Award winners are announced at a news conference during the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club on June 5, 2022 in Dublin, Ohio. (Chris Condon/PGA Tour)
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Nicklaus added that he did not believe those who defected should be allowed to return to the PGA Tour.
«No, I don’t know. They’ve made a decision about what they’re doing and how they’re doing it. And that’s fine. I don’t have a problem with any of those guys,» he added, via Sports Illustrated. «I see six or seven of them who are members of the Bear’s Club (Nicklaus’s club in Florida). It’s not a problem. They get along with the guys. It’s the place where they chose to play golf. And I look at what it says on the PGA Tour is and who the members are.
«And they’ve actually stimulated the PGA Tour to get better.»
Billy Horschel receives the trophy from tournament host Jack Nicklaus after his four-shot victory in the final round of the Memorial Tournament on June 5, 2022 in Dublin, Ohio. (Keyur Khamar/PGA Tour via Getty Images)
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Billy Horschel is the current Memorial champion. He beat Aaron Wise by four shots at last year’s event. Patrick Cantlay won the event for the second time in 2021, beating Collin Morikawa on a tiebreak.