"The chaos in golf scares me" - PGA Tour winner Peter Jacobsen talks about current affairs in the golf world

Seven-time PGA Tour winner Peter Jacobsen believes that the current state of the sport is quite worrisome. With players from the PGA Tour flocking to LIV Golf, and notable ones at that, things are precarious. Even with the anticipated merger between PGAT and LIV, the future is a bit murky and for some people, things just don't look good.

Count Jacobsen among the doubters, as he spoke with Taylor Zarzour on a podcast about the "chaos" the game is experiencing and why he believes this era is different and not in a good way.

SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio posted a short clip of Jacobsen's conversation with Zarzour on X (formerly Twitter):

"The chaos in golf scares me"

7x PGA TOUR winner Peter Jacobsen on The Starter with Taylor Zarzour talking about what has gone on in professional golf.

Jacobsen said:

"The chaos in golf scares me because when players leave the Tour and go to play for LIV, it's not for the betterment of the game. It's for the betterment of the player. That's fine, I understand that. I would never criticize a player for taking generational money, for taking huge money to jump to a rival league... I will always caution and say what are you leaving behind?"

Jacobsen added that Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer gave him something to consider when he came up to the Tour:

"When I first came on Tour, I was lucky enough to get hooked up with Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus... The message from them was always to leave the organization better than how you found it. Right now, I can't say that that's happening because the rival LIV league is trying to tear the fabric of the PGA Tour apart."

With Jon Rahm leaving the Tour for a reported sum of $566 million, many other dominoes are beginning to fall. There was a lull at one point when the LIV rumors died down for a lot of golfers, but that is over now. Several players are either all but gone or rumored to be considering a move away from the PGA Tour.

---

Peter Jacobsen is worried about the sport of golf

Peter Jacobsen believes golfers are not leaving the Tour in a good state. He doesn't begrudge anyone taking the money and leaving since it's truly life-changing money and most players would have to make a difficult choice that doesn't better themselves to turn it down.

Peter Jacobsen lamented the state of golf

In truth, the golfer believes that the fault lies with LIV and not necessarily with the golfers it has poached. Whether it's Jon Rahm or Talor Gooch, these golfers all had good reasons to leave. Jacobsen believes the reason LIV wanted them to leave is less than honorable.

Greg Norman, CEO of LIV, has been trying to get an alternative to the PGA Tour up and running for some time and has failed attempts along the way. LIV is the first to truly stick and it's changing the game of golf, something Jacobsen and other golfers have expressed a desire to do.

The PIF's reasons for changing golf are a little less clear. PIF funds the breakaway tour and is the reason LIV can throw hundreds of millions at almost anyone they want from the PGA Tour.

Theories abound, but the fact of the matter is that they have given golfers many reasons to defect, and it seems to be harming the sport. At least, that's what Jacobsen believes.