“Does it change for guys who sued?” - Jordan Spieth unsure about offering PGA Tour olive branch to LIV rebels
Jordan Spieth was thrilled to open with his lowest opening round for more than two years and also relieved he doesn’t have to decide on the future of LIV Golf rebels like Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau.
LIV’s future is uncertain after Saudi Arabia’s PIF announced officially yesterday that it’s pulling the financial backing that has injected almost $6 million into the tour over the past five years.
The LIV Golf League now has a new board with PIF chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan stepping away and CEO Scott O’Neil desperately seeking alternative sources of finance for next year.
Spieth admitted at Trump National Doral last night that he’s just happy he’s not the one who will have to decide what the PGA Tour might do should LIV stars like Rahm and DeChambeau. eventually look to return to the fold.
“I'm not sure,” Spieth said after firing a seven-under 65 on the Blue Monster that left him tied for second with Alex Smalley, a shot behind Cameron Young in the $20 million Cadillac Championship.
“I’m not sure if it should be the same for everyone. I know olive branches were given out, you know, a couple of months ago. “Brooks (Koepka) took 'em up on it. So I'm not sure what would now change.
“Obviously with, if it -- and I don't even know, that doesn't necessarily mean that LIV's not going to still move on, too.
"I think there's just too many unknowns for me to have a good gauge on what would happen there.
“But I think, if there's a system for Brooks and a system for Patrick Reed, does that stay the same for guys in the same category as those two coming back or does it change now?
“Does it change for guys who sued and dropped their membership? “There's just a lot of different things that happened over the last four years for that.
“I'm kind of glad I'm not in that room, and I trust the guys that are in that room to make the right decision.”
Shane Lowry was tied for 37th after opening with a level par 72 at President Donald Trump’s Miami venue.
The Offaly man birdied the first and second but bogeyed the fourth, sixth and ninth to turn in level par before following birdies at the 10th and 12th with a bogey at the 15th.
On the LPGA Tour, Lauren Walsh made four birdies and four bogeys to open with a level par 72 that left her tied for 43rd in the Riviera Maya Open at Mayakoba.
She was six shots behind Brianna Do and Melanie Green, the 2024 Women’s Amateur champion at Portmarnock, who had a hole-in-one at the 15th in a six-under 66.
Stephanie Meadow was 85th on three-over after mixing four birdies with seven bogeys in a 75.
On the PGA Tour Champions, Pádraig Harrington made a solid start in his bid for another Senior Major at the Regions Tradition in Alabama.
A five-under 67 left the Dubliner tied or sixth at Greystone Golf and Country Club, just two shots behind Alex Cejka and Stewart Cink, who shot 65s to lead by a shot from Charlie Wi, Scott Hend and Steven Alker.
Darren Clarke had a tougher day, taking 34 putts in a two-over 74 that left him tied for 64th.
