LIV Golf project will cause collateral damage to "collective"
Laurie Canter leads at PGHA Catalunya. Picture: Getty
PAUL MCGINLEY does not judge the potential rebels, but he insists there will be "collateral damage" for the collective if they chase Greg Norman's LIV Golf millions.
The DP World Tour and the PGA Tour face a very real existential threat from the Saudi-backed tour, which tees off with a 54-hole event near London from June 9-11 when 48 players, including 15 of the world's top 100, hope to play for their share of $20 million.
"We will resist, but we can only resist within the rules of the tour," Board member McGinley said of talk of draconian sanctions for those who play at the Centurion Club without releases from the player-owned DP World Tour.
"By playing in these events, they affect the collective, and there will be consequences for the collective. All the board can do is put the business interests on the table, advise what's best for the tour and let the players make their own decisions. If there are repercussions to the business side of the tour, well, they are the ones who will suffer."
While commercial contracts are worth "hundreds of millions" in Europe and "billions" to the PGA Tour, how much power the tours have to stop the Saudi project remains to be seen.
"We don't like going out and ruling with an iron fist," McGinley said of recent talk of potentially draconian sanctions in Europe.
As for those prepared to chase the cash, McGinley said: "It's not for me to judge them. I believe in the traditions of the game and the history of the Irish Open, the French Open, the BMW PGA.
"Other players would have a different view in thinking the game needs a change and should be about team events and three rounds and we should be paid three times what we're paid now."
Time will tell which model of the game prevails as the DP World Tour and PGA Tour prepare to announce even closer ties.
Great venues create great tournaments and the Australian Open will feature on the DP World Tour in December at Melbourne's Victoria Golf Club.
This week's Catalunya Championship at PGA Catalunya's exacting Stadium Course is a big success with England's Laurie Canter firing a five-under 67 to lead by a shot from James Morrison and Oliver Bekker on seven-under.
Jonathan Caldwell eagled the par-five 15th (his sixth) from six feet en route to a 71 to make the two-over cut on level par, but Tom McKibbin shot 76 for four-over, Cormac Sharvin 75 (10-over) and Luke Donnelly 81 (13-over) to miss.
"My driving has been pretty good, and that's important here with the rough up," Caldwell said.
While it remains to be seen if Graeme McDowell (42) seeks release for LIV Golf events, he had to dig deep to sit on the two-under cut line in the Mexico Open at Vidanta.
Out in 39, he came home in four-under 31, scrambling for pars at his 16th and 17th en route to a second successive 70 that left him 10 shots behind Jon Rahm, who shot a five-under 66 to lead by a shot from Alex Smalley on 12-under.
Meanwhile, Malone's Matthew McClean opened with a four-under 66 to lead the Lytham Trophy by a shot as Dundalk's Eoin Murphy and Castle's Robert Moran shot 68s to share fifth spot.
On the LPGA Tour, Stephanie Meadow carded a three-under 68 to share 30th on one-under in the Palos Verdes Championship in California as Leona Maguire misses back to back cuts for the first time in 11 months.
Australia’s Hannah Green shot 66 to lead by three shots on from Lydia Ko (67), Megan Khang (69), Jin Young Ko (72) and Minjee Lee (73) on nine-under as Meadow went out in four-under 31, then followed bogeys at the fourth and sixth with a birdie at the seventh.
Maguire birdied the seventh and eighth to get back to one-over for the tournament but bogeyed the 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 15th and 18th with just one back nine birdie at the 16th as she carded a second successive 74.
The Co Cavan star hit just eight greens in regulation.
In the Women’s NSW Open, Olivia Mehaffey’s level par 72 left her tied for 21st on level par, 13 shots behind Sweden’s Maja Stark. who shot 66 to take a four-shot lead into the final round on 13-under.
On the PGA Tour Champions, Padraig Harrington is five shots behind Steve Stricker, Steven Alker and Ernie Els in the Insperity Invitational on the PGA Tour Champions at the Woodlands in Texas.
Stricker, Alker and Els opened with five-under 67s as Harrington mixed three birdies with three bogeys in a 72.
The Dubliner birdied the par-five first, bogeyed the seventh but then followed another birdie four at the 13th with bogeys at the 14th and 15th before finishing with a birdie three.
