“An attempt at a hostile takeover" - Davis Love III opens up about LIV Golf, takes a dig at Phil Mickelson

President Cup 2022’s United States team captain Davis Love III has now slammed LIV Golf. Opening up amid the raging PGA Tour-LIV Golf debate, the ace golfer said that the rebel league was attempting a "hostile takeover of the game". Love went on to state that he was “disappointed” by the big-name golfers, who decided to join the Saudi-backed league.

Love was speaking to the media at Quail Hollow on Day 1 of the Presidents Cup when he became candid about LIV golfers. It is pertinent to note that the US team captain has always been strongly opinionated about things surrounding the PGA Tour.

Speaking to Golf Digest about LIV Golf, Davis Love III said:

"The more that I think about what's going on in golf, the more I can't see this as anything but an attempt at a hostile takeover… I mean, it is a hostile takeover. We have to see it for what it is."

Love continued the attack on Thursday and slammed the rebel league’s players, including Phil Mickelson. The US team captain was forced to oust Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, and Brooks Koepka from his side due to a suspension placed on them by the PGA Tour. Speaking about losing some of his top players, Love sounded like a helpless friend who wished the players didn’t make the jump to LIV.

Speaking to The New York Times about the LIV Golf defectors, Love said:

"I'm not angry at Dustin Johnson or Cameron Smith, I'm just disappointed.”

Love went on to slam Phil Mickelson, who jumped ship to become LIV Golf’s star signing back in March. The US team captain revealed that Mickelson has stopped talking to PGA Tour players. Emphasizing on the point, Love said that the LIV golfer is bound to regret his decision to leave the PGA Tour for hefty paychecks.

He said:

"My faith tells me money can't buy you happiness and a lot of guys are going to find that out, I think, over the next few years... Phil won't talk to any of us because ultimately, deep down, he knows this is not good… He could have sat with me, Rory and Tiger and we could have figured something out. Maybe not everything he wanted would've happened, but some of it would, and that's what I tried to tell him."

Commenting further on the Saudi-backed league, Love said that the defectors were feeling ‘apologetic’ for making the jump. He went on to question why the controversial league had to pay millions to the players to make the jump if the series was good by itself.

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Both President Cup team captains upset by LIV Golf

International team captain Trevor Immelman also joined his rival Davis Love III to comment on LIV Golf. It is pertinent to note that Immelman's team took the larger hit of the two sides as players defected to the Saudi-backed series. The South African golfer addressed the defection of high-profile players like Cameron Smith and said that they had the right to make their own calls.

Speaking to the media at Quail Hollow Club, Immelman said:

"All those players have been open and honest with me throughout their process, telling me exactly where they're at so I was up to speed on it… Everybody has a right to make their own decisions, and I respect those guys making those decisions. I also do respect them for keeping me in the loop and making sure that I understand exactly where we're at all times so I could try and be as prepared as I could. So, I thanked them for that."

It is notewothy that multiple players who jumped ship to join LIV have openly slammed the ban placed on them by the PGA Tour. These players, including Phil Mickelson and Louis Oosthuizen, had expressed their wish to play at the Presidents Cup.