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Tiger Woods's former coach Butch Harmon recently shared his sharp critique of the current state of men's professional golf. In an interview referenced by NUCLR Golf on X, the veteran swing instructor attributed many of the sport's issues to the PGA Tour's "arrogance."
In an interview with the Golf Channel and NBC's Matt Adams, the 15-time Major championship winner's ex-coach began his statement by addressing the lack of recognizable big-time golfers dominating the leaderboard in the final two rounds of tournaments.
Harmon said (via X @NUCLRGolf):
“When you turn on the TV on Saturday and Sunday and you look at the leaderboard and the novice golf fan sees these 10 names and he has no idea who any of them are. Cause it’s not any of the superstars, that to me is wrong...I think the arrogance of the PGA TOUR - thinking they were the best game and only game in town and that nobody was gonna come in and do anything about that [and] well we’ve seen what’s happened.”
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His comment highlighted the void left by the absence of dominating players that once captivated fans and media worldwide. Woods' world-renowned former coach went on to criticize the PGA Tour's operations and their business decisions.
Harmon pointed out that the leading men's professional golf tour should have struck a deal with Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) which is LIV Golf's primary financier. He stated that LIV Golf has now appeared as the PGA Tour's competitor.
Woods' former mentor mentioned that the PGA Tour's business is the "worst it's ever been." He also echoed a sentiment shared by many golf enthusiasts worldwide:
"If the commissioner had have taken Yasir’s phone call 4 years ago we wouldn’t be in this place…All you and I want and all golf fans want is when we turn on the TV on Sunday we wanna see the best players playing against each other. That’s all we want.”
Harmon's candid statement reflected the fractured system of men's professional golf with fans and players divided by the PGA Tour and LIV Golf. His insights highlight fans' desire to watch the game's biggest names compete on the big stage.
Tiger Woods set to make TGL debut
TGL's second match of its inaugural season will be played at the SoFi Center in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida on Tuesday (Jan. 14). Tiger Woods' Jupiter Links Golf Club will take on Los Angeles Golf Club at 7:00 PM EST for the 15-hole battle.
Not only will the two teams engage in a friendly competition, but they will also use their opportunity to raise awareness about the ongoing devastation caused by wildfires in Los Angeles. As a California native, Woods is shaken by the conditions of the state.
Los Angeles Golf Club, consisting of Collin Morikawa, Sahith Theegala, Justin Rose and Tommy Fleetwood, has launched their LA Strong merchandise to provide direct aid to the Southern California communities.
