If you’re a golf fan, you are likely informed on the battle being waged in pro golf. The PGA Tour vs. LIV. The establishment vs. the upstart. The old vs. the new. It’s a topic that permeates through the sport on a daily basis, and nearly everyone has their own opinion on the matter.
On this week’s episode of GOLF’s Subpar, eight-time Tour winner Fred Funk got the chance to share his.
“I see both side of it,” he said. “I always thought the guys, if I were in the situation of Westwood and Mickelson and Poulter, the three guys that left early and were the biggest names, and I were in that part of my career and they offered me that kind of money, I’m out. I’m going.”
Funk continued by saying that he didn’t think players like those in the twilight of their careers had many options. The competition on Tour was keeping most of them from being competitive, and they weren’t yet Champions Tour eligible. For those reasons, Funk does not blame the early defectors.
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On the flip side of the coin, Funk had some qualms about some of the younger players leaving for the upstart tour, though he did mention that the money would be difficult to turn down.
“For the young guys, I question that,” he said. “But at the same time, how do you turn down the money? It’s a ridiculous amount of money, and the Tour can’t really compete with that.”
Funk also questioned the outrage in the media as it pertains to Saudi Arabia, citing hypocrisy as his main counterpoint.
“We’ve already played in Saudi Arabia. We’ve had contracts with Saudi Arabia. We have contracts playing for the regular tour in China. It’s not like we haven’t played there before,” he said. “At the same time, these guys are set for life.”
Check out the entire episode of Subpar below.
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