Most golfers who jumped ship to LIV Golf in 2022 burned every bridge behind them, but one player picked up the phone to say goodbye properly. Before signing his check, Louis Oosthuizen phoned both DP World Tour CEO Keith Pelley and PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan.
He told them his move had “nothing at all to do with their product.” That simple act of respect set him apart from a crowd that spent years shouting insults at the tours they left.
Four years have passed since that phone call, and the landscape looks very different now. LIV Golf filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, and Oosthuizen is heading back to Europe. Former Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley recently praised the South African for handling his exit with grace when everyone else acted like a child.
McGinley admitted that the other defectors left a bitter taste in his mouth. “Not one of them showed any graciousness to the Tour they were leaving,” McGinley said, according to Yardbarker. He specifically called out Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, and Lee Westwood for their lack of class.
A Rare Gesture of Thanks
Oosthuizen wrote a letter to the board explaining his South African roots and the help the European circuit gave him. He said injuries were catching up and the money was too good to pass up. He left with a heavy heart, not a smirk.
That letter was read out to the board and appreciated by everyone in the room. It was a stark contrast to the fiery press conferences and public attacks that defined the departures of his peers. McGinley noted that better advisers should have encouraged all the players to leave on good terms.
The fallout from those rude exits still stings for the European team. Half of McGinley’s 2014 Gleneagles squad eventually joined LIV, and the betrayal hurt. The competition relies on the DP World Tour to run the show, and players must keep their membership to stay eligible.
When Garcia recently expressed a desire to return in 2027, McGinley said the old comments had not been forgotten. “I’m proud to call it home again,” Garcia said of the DP World Tour. But the captain believes the damage from four years ago is still fresh in people’s minds.
New Money for the PGA Tour
While the drama of the past plays out, the PGA Tour is securing its future with a massive new deal. Visa has agreed to a partnership with events starting in 2028 that could be one of the largest sports investments in the Tour’s history.
The plan includes sponsoring the match play Tour Championship and three Challenger Series tournaments. Reports suggest the financial commitment could even exceed what Visa spent on the FIFA World Cup or the International Olympic Committee. We are talking about an eight-figure sum annually that will help the Tour pamper the best players in the game.
This new era begins right as the FedEx contract expires next year. Tiger Woods led the Future Competition Committee that worked out the new structures for this fresh start. Visa appears to have experienced the magic in every beginning that Hermann Hesse once described.
While Bryson DeChambeau spins fairy tales about a league that might exist forever, the real money is flowing to the established tour. DeChambeau claims, “We’re working to make sure the new model is completely financially viable,” but the facts on the ground tell a different story, according to the Golf Post.
