Webb Simpson’s Dustin Johnson problem highlights key LIV issue

It is the central irony of the creation of LIV Golf: the league crafted to bring golf’s best players together more often has, in fact, resulted in fewer high-level competitions than ever before.

Yes, LIV’s promise of bringing the best players in golf under the same roof has unquestionably worked, but the problem with it is that there are now two homes.

The short-term effects of such a system are relatively well understood: in a world with two homes, the best players only compete four times per year at the majors (five when there’s a Ryder Cup). But the longer-term effects of the current environment in golf are slightly more insidious — effects that Webb Simpson laid out in a compelling question-and-answer session with Golfweek’s Adam Schupak over the weekend.

“Greed is a very clear exposer. I’m not saying the guys going to LIV, they’re all greedy,” Simpson said. “I’m saying when these young guys, when [money is] such a heavy consideration for them, I feel like this generation has missed or they don’t care about the things that other generations cared about, which is Hall of Fame, how many wins on the PGA Tour, contending in major championships. Everyone talks about the money.”

Of course, the best players in golf compete for a living, which means that money is an inherent piece of any conversation. But one of the blessings of having played pro golf for so long, Simpson says, is the ability to recognize that money isn’t the only piece of the puzzle.

“I believe money can’t make you happy long-term. It’ll make you happy in the short-term, but the long-term…” Simpson said. “I think most guys would agree. Now some guys, sure, they want the money, but most of us — our ultimate goal on the PGA Tour and the ultimate satisfaction of a PGA Tour player is to be in contention, being able to hit shots and make putts. That feels better than any check we’ve ever gotten.”

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Now, there’s sure to be some disagreement over whether $1 million is more valuable to the average person than the glory of competing on the PGA Tour — but there’s little doubt that there’s at least a kernel of truth to Simpson’s words. Sure, the PGA Tour might have been a flawed system in its previous form, but at least it had the benefit of preserving a collective legacy that superseded the sport’s individuals. After all, the inherent value in any of our sports is in witnessing players flirt with history — now, in the era of LIV, some of the Tour’s history has been stripped. Not only has money affected the way that players view the world; but it’s also affected the way the world views the players.

The prime example of this phenomenon, according to Simpson? None other than his good pal — and early LIV defection — Dustin Johnson.

“I’m trying to convince these young guys, legacy means something,” Simpson said. “I love Dustin (Johnson), he’s a buddy of mine, but he had the opportunity to go down as one of the top 10 greatest players ever, and as soon as he signed his name to LIV – he still could be, but in the record books, we’ll never know. It’s not going to count.”

Indeed, Johnson will stay in the record books that most golf fans care about above all others: major championships. But Johnson’s legacy as a competitor on the PGA Tour, where he has 24 career wins, is arguably more indicative of his ability and dominance than his pair of major championships. Had Johnson remained on the PGA Tour for the balance of his career, he might have had the chance to add to those records even further, entrenching himself unquestionably as one of the best players in golf history. Now, on LIV, Johnson’s legacy has taken on a different tact. He’s made lots of money in the process, but Simpson says, that money came at a cost.

“Things like that make me a little sad,” he said. “But I’m not knocking the guys for going. I just think these young guys think about it different, you know.”