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Jon Rahm faces awkward encounter just weeks after refusing to pay LIV Golf fines

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Jon Rahm LIV Golf

Jon Rahm recently met with DP World Tour CEO Guy Kinnings at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

This meeting took place just a few weeks after Rahm declared he wouldn’t be paying any fines to the Wentworth-based circuit for participating in LIV Golf events. Rahm is back on the DP World Tour this week, aiming to play four events to maintain his Tour membership and secure his eligibility for next year’s Ryder Cup.

His last-minute scramble to meet the quota comes after spending most of 2024 playing on the LIV circuit. After joining the breakaway league late last year on a record-breaking deal, Rahm has been crowned LIV’s individual champion for 2024, pocketing just under $35 million in prize money during that period.

Pretty special'... Jon Rahm amazed by one 'incredible' thing at LIV Golf Adelaide

READ: Tiger Woods to design second Texas golf course as PGA and LIV Golf merger talks progress

However, his move hasn’t been without consequences. Rahm has faced financial penalties and suspensions from the DP World Tour for each LIV event he participates in. To return to the European circuit this autumn, Rahm had to appeal the decision, which has allowed him to compete in the Spanish Open, Dunhill Links, and the Andalucia Masters later this month, reports the Mirror US.

While the appeal currently allows the former world No. 1 to compete freely, there will come a time when he’ll have to choose between the Wentworth-based circuit and the LIV competitor. The outcome remains uncertain, but Rahm has already stated he won’t pay a penny of what he owes.

“I’m not a big fan of the fines. I think I’ve been outspoken about that,” the Spanish star said of his DP World Tour punishments at LIV Chicago last month. “I don’t intend to pay the fines, and we keep trying to have a discussion with them about how we can make this happen.”

This could potentially cause a significant rift between the European Tour and one of their most valuable players, Rahm. Despite the off-course politics, Rahm and the circuit’s CEO, Kinnings, appeared to be on good terms as they walked the course together ahead of this week’s event in Scotland.

Away from the controversy, Rahm’s attention shifted to the tournament at hand on Thursday, where he made a strong start, scoring an impressive seven-under-par 65 in the opening round at Carnoustie. The Spaniard is renowned for his aggressive play from tee to green, but it was his performance with the putter that stood out on the first day.

“My putting was really good today. I hit it well. Felt comfortable out there,’ he stated on Thursday. “But the amount of putts I made from 15 to 20 feet, it’s more than the average for sure today rather than — that’s what it takes on a golf course like Carnoustie to post a score. Hopefully, I can keep playing like this for the next few days.”

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GOLF

‘Bruh seriously?!’ Fans stunned by latest Tiger Woods update

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Tiger Woods Sun Day Red

Tiger Woods has this month dropped a new ‘Cashmere Collection’ over at his Sun Day Red apparel company, but a large number of golf fans have been instantly turned off after seeing the cost involved to purchase any of the items. 

Woods, 48, shocked the world of last year when he announced he was terminating his 27-year deal with sports giant Nike.

The former World No.1 then announced his new Sun Day Red brand, featuring golf clothing and golf shoes.

Woods officially launched Sun Day Red into the golf industry four months ago on 1 May.

Tiger Woods' Sun Day Red: If you wanted the polo, you are too late - SBNation.com

READ: LIV Golf Vs PGA Tour: Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler set to face Brooks Koepka And Bryson DeChambeau in huge grudge match

While very much a luxury golf brand, a number of Tiger Woods fans have been unable to get involved with their hero’s new gear simply because it costs too much.

Some Woods fans have already complained about the styles and overall quality of products, while others are still coming to terms with the company logo that resembles a Tiger made up of 15 lines paying homage to Woods’ 15 career major titles.

And don’t even start some people on the name of the brand, which of course reflects Woods always wearing red on Sundays during final rounds of tournaments.

When Woods first launched his new Sun Day Red logo to the world, his former long-time coach Butch Harmon joked during a live Sky Sports Golf broadcast that he thought it ‘looked more like Tiger’s spine.’

But back to the top of the story and Woods’ new ‘Cashmere Collection‘ that has just been loaded onto the Sun Day Red website.

The new line features 3D Tour Cashmere Vests, Crew Sweaters and Hoodies.

Prices range from $300 to $375.

The Sun Day Red website states:

‘Our cashmere sweaters and vests are crafted for those who demand the best, both on and off the course. Engineered to reduce pilling and last longer, these have quickly become Tiger’s favorite layering pieces to make a clean, quiet, understated statement.’

Golf fans have been reacting to the new drop of clothing after the update was posted on X / Twitter by the popular NUCLR Golf account.

A number of golf fans have been instantly turned off by the cost involved, even if cashmere is considered a luxury fiber.

Others are struggling to get their heads around how the Sun Day Red logo isn’t even visible on the items other than on the label inside the neck.

Here’s how a number of golf fans have reacted to the new Sun Day Red Cashmere Collection…

Love Tiger to death but nah…

Bruh seriously?! 350 for a hoodie is outrageous!

Far too expensive.

Sun Day Red just goes to show how out of touch Eldrick is…

These keep getting worse and worse…

Great way to grow the game… let’s stick a sweater up at $300.

Where even is the logo?! LOL

Logo is terrible.

Huge tiger fan and I ordered a bunch of the early items. The quality is pretty bad considering their price point and it’s such bland stuff. Minimal logos. etc. really not a fan. Kills me to say.

Love Tiger, dude cannot dress himself off the course.

Honest question apart from Tiger (obvs) has anyone seen another person on earth wearing this?

Might get involved if it comes down in price by 125 dollars!

Big Tiger fan but this look very ordinary.

It’s a hard pass from me.

Ridiculous. Why is anyone giving this guy money for overpriced apparel?

Such a boring line, no thank you. 

What’s the most popular item at Tiger Woods’ Sun Day Red?

One of Tiger Woods’ most popular products at Sun Day Red right now is his new Luare Chain Stitch Hoodie, available for $135.

Luare Chain Stitch Hoodie

Woods last played a competitive tournament when missing the cut at The 152nd Open at Royal Troon in July.

The 15-time major champion has now missed the cut in his last three majors and he finished dead last (60th) of those that made the cut at The Masters in April.

Many consider Woods is coming to the end of his PGA Tour career now, although there is hope he will decide to tee it up on the PGA Tour Champions in two years’ time – once he has reached the age of 50 – where he will be afforded the use of a golf cart.

Woods, now ranked 969th in the world, admits he will likely not tee it up again until his ‘next major’ alongside his son Charlie Woods at the annual PNC Championship just before Christmas.

That will fall at a similar time to when PGA Tour duo Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler battle it out against LIV Golf duo Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka.

That match was confirmed this week.

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GOLF

LIV Golf Vs PGA Tour: Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler set to face Brooks Koepka And Bryson DeChambeau in huge grudge match

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Scottie Scheffler Bryson DeChambeau

Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler will face off against LIV Golf duo Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka in the first match between golf’s two rival tours.

The made-for-TV clash will take place in Las Vegas in December and will pit the PGA Tour’s two biggest stars against two of the most widely-known figures on LIV Golf, the Saudi-backed circuit founded in 2021.

First reported by Golfweek, McIlroy confirmed the face-off and said: ‘I’m thrilled to partner with Scottie in what promises to be an exciting duel against Bryson and Brooks in Vegas this December.

Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler to Play Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau in Match

READ: [VIDEOS] “Embarrassing and extremely offensive”: Did Tiger Woods lash out at Kamala Harris over ‘fake Black accent’?

‘This isn’t just a contest between some of golf’s major champions; it’s an event designed to energize the fans. We’re all here to put on a great show and contribute to a goodwill event that brings the best together again.’

All three other players have also confirmed the match, which will be broadcast by TNT and follow on from their nine previous editions of The Match, a series of exhibition golf events that began in 2018 with Tiger Woods vs. Phil Mickelson.

DeChambeau and Koepka were previously known for their hostile relationship and competed against each other in an earlier edition of The Match. Since both moving to LIV, they have seemingly reconciled their differences.

World No.3 McIlroy, meanwhile, will come face-to-face with DeChambeau for the first time properly since dramatically losing the US Open to the American back in June.

The Northern Irishman will team up alongside Scheffler who just collected a $25 million bonus for winning last week’s season-ending FedEx Cup.

The contest will not include prize money but all four players are reportedly set to receive an appearance fee.

Perhaps more notably, the clash hints at an easing in tensions between the two rival tours which still remain locked in talks over a potential merger after 15 months of negotiations.

Any potential deal could see Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), which bankrolls Premier League club Newcastle United as well as LIV, come onboard as co-owners of the PGA Tour alongside a US-based sports consortium.

However, at last week’s Tour Championship, the Tour’s commissioner Jay Monahan refused to provide a meaningful update, insisting negotiations were ‘complex’.

‘They’re going to take time. They have taken time, and they will continue to take time,’ he said.

‘But I’m not going to negotiate details in public or disclose details or specifics. All I can say is that conversations continue, and they’re productive.’

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GOLF

LIV Golf vs PGA Tour: “None of them have the b——- to actually do their job” – LIV Golf pro blasts PGA Tour officials

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LIV Golf PGA Tour

LIV Golf League player Ian Poulter posted a cryptic message as PGA Tour Jay Monahan delivered an update on PIF talks.

Ian Poulter posted a cryptic message as PGA Tour boss Jay Monahan delivered an ‘update’ on peace talks with LIV Golf’s financiers.

Monahan spoke to reporters before the Tour Championship where the most pressing topic was how discussions are going with the breakaway tour’s financial backers.

Ian Poulter to appeal against PGA Tour ban of LIV Golf players | The Independent

RELATED: Jay Monahan provides concerning update on ‘complex’ PGA Tour and LIV Golf merger

The PGA Tour commissioner offered little of substance, but he insisted that negotiations between the North American circuit and the Saudi PIF continue to move forward.

Monahan stressed the Tour was not going to negotiate in public and there is no set deadline for a deal to be ratified that would ‘bring the best players in the world back together’.

Poulter was a keen observer to Monahan’s news conference and reacted in real time on his Instagram stories.

The European Ryder Cup legend wrote: “I just have to laugh and sigh at the same time. Sad.

“I wonder if anyone will have the balls to question it or pull it apart.

“I bet they don’t. Let’s wait and see. IYKYK.”

“Or are the puppets going to be puppets? I wonder.”

Poulter added that ‘none of them’ have the [sic] to actually do their jobs.”

Ian Poulter's response

The Englishman was among the first wave of golfers to join LIV Golf in 2022.

He has consistently criticised the PGA Tour, Monahan and former DP World Tour chief executive Keith Pelley.

It’s not just Poulter who is appears to be at his wit’s end.

A frustrated Rory McIlroy also complained about the lack of progress that has been made after his opening round at the season finale at East Lake.

“I think anyone that cares about golf, I think has to be frustrated,” the 35-year-old said.

“I think anyone that cares about the PGA Tour has to be frustrated because we’re—we, the royal we, we’re not putting forward the absolute best product that we can.”

McIlroy said the Tour needs its villains back.

“I just think it’s gone on long enough,” he added.

“We’ve got to try to, I mean, I think everyone is trying to find a solution.

“It’s just a solution is hard to get to.”

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GOLF

Jay Monahan provides concerning update on ‘complex’ PGA Tour and LIV Golf merger

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Jay Monahan PGA Tour LIV Golf

PGA Tour and LIV Golf merger talks continue, however, Commissioner Jay Monahan has admitted thrashing out a deal has been complex and will take time to complete

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan has admitted that long-running merger talks with LIV Golf are proving to be very complex with no deadline for a deal set.

The PGA Tour, DP World Tour, and PIF, the Saudi backers of LIV Golf, signed a framework agreement on June 6, 2023, which would bring more than $1 billion of investment. However, the deadline for that agreement expired Dec. 31.

The PGA Tour drew a line in the sand. Greg Norman fired back. Now what?

READ: [VIDEO] ‘I give shots to my friends every day at home, but my friends are not like him’: Shane Lowry on chasing Scottie Scheffler 

Negotiations continue and PGA Tour Commissioner Monahan provided an update on Wednesday at a news conference ahead of this week’s Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club.

“You look at where we are right now, we’re in regular dialogue, we have the right people at the table with the right mindset,” he said. “I see that in all these conversations on both sides, that creates optimism about the future and our ability to come together.”

“At the same time, these conversations are complex, they’re going to take time,” he conceded. “They have taken time and they will continue to take time.

“When I sit here today, I think the most important thing is our obligation to fans, players and partners is to focus on what we control, which we’re doing as I outlined and continue to carry this momentum forward. I’m not going to negotiate details in public or disclose details or specifics, but all I can say is that conversations continue and they’re productive.”

Following the deadline passing at the end of last year, the PGA announced it had received a huge investment. The Tour was handed $1.5 billion in investment, with up to $3 billion available, thanks to Sports Group to form PGA Tour Enterprises.

The consortium includes Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank and Fenway Sports Group owner John W. Henry, who owns Premier League side Liverpool, as well as the Boston Red Sox, the Pittsburgh Penguins, The Boston Globe, and RFK Racing. PGA Tour Enterprises chairman Joe Gorder and Henry are at the forefront of negotiations with the Saudis, and they’ve been joined on a transactional subcommittee by Tiger Woods and Adam Scott.

“I think when you get into productive conversations, that enhances the likelihood of positive outcomes, and that enhances the spirit of those very conversations. I think that’s where things stand,” Monahan added.

The Tour Championship starts on Thursday and world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler holds a two-shot advantage over No. 2 Xander Schauffele. Scheffler, 28, who has six Tour wins this year, including the Masters, also won Olympic gold in Paris. However, Since the 2019 format change, no player who has started the Tour Championship at the top of the leaderboard has gone on to win it.

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GOLF

PGA V LIV GOLF: Rory McIlroy disagrees with Jon Rahm on divisive PGA Tour topic as LIV star’s stance clear

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Rory McIlroy Jon Rahm

Three-time FedEx Cup champion Rory McIlroy has defended the PGA Tour format ahead of the St Jude Championship at TPC Southwind

Rory McIlroy has launched a defence over the PGA Tour format ahead of the FedEx Cup playoffs.

The FedEx Cup is a season-long competition to crown the best PGA golfer, with players accumulating points from events throughout the year. The top 70 golfers from January to August qualify for the first FedEx Cup playoff at the St. Jude Championship, which tees off on Thursday.

Jon Rahm calls out commentator over Rory McIlroy comments that 'absolutely burned me' | Golf | Sport | Express.co.uk

READ: It does NOT end well: U.S. Amateur players try to recreate Tiger Woods’ ‘greatest shot’

The field is whittled down to 50 for the BMW Championship, with winners of each playoff event adding 2,000 points to their existing total; quadruple the number for a full-field PGA event. The season finale then sees the top 30 battle it out in the PGA Tour Championship, which features a staggered-stroke system and allows the FedEx Cup leader to start on 10-under-par, two shots ahead of second place.

It is designed to help ensure that there is no runaway winner before the Tour Championship, with the FedEx Cup champion pocketing a £19.4million ($25m) jackpot. Several top stars, including LIV Golf ace Jon Rahm, have branded the format unfair – but three-time winner McIlroy believes the FedEx Cup allows the season to end with a flourish.

“I love this format because if it wasn’t this format, then none of us would have a chance against Scottie [Scheffler] because he’s so far ahead,” McIlroy said ahead of the St. Jude Championship.

“He’s so far ahead, and you don’t expect Scottie to finish outside the top five, either. By the way – I think it makes the Tour Championship more exciting from a consumer standpoint.”

McIlroy did at least admit: “Is it the fairest reflection of who’s been the best player of the year? Probably not. But I think at this point we’re not in for totally fair, we’re in for entertainment and for trying to put on the best product we possibly can. The first year that it was the starting strokes at Tour Championship in 2019, I was able to win that one, and then in ’22 again.

“I like this format. It sort of feels like it’s a bit of a reset after the regular season,” McIlroy added. “Everyone is not quite on a level playing field, but it feels a little more like that.”

While acknowledging the entertainment value for fans, ex-world No. 1 Rahm previously laid into the play-off system, arguing that it overlooked his success on the PGA Tour. Rahm no longer has to deal with those issues, though, as his switch to LIV Golf in December makes him ineligible to compete in the FedEx Cup.

“I don’t like it, I don’t think it’s fair,” Rahm said in 2021. “I don’t like that at all. I think you have the play-offs itself and win the first two, and if you don’t play good on the last one, you can end up with a really bad finish.

“You could win 15 events, including both playoff events, and you have a two-shot lead,” he continued. “I understand it’s for TV purposes and excitement and just making it more of a winner-take-all, and they give you a two-shot advantage, but over four days that can be gone in two holes.”

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GOLF

LIV Golf Doping Controversy: Brooks Koepka Steals Bryson DeChambeau’s Move to Save Face

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Brooks Koepka Bryson DeChambeau

LIV Golf Doping Controversy – Brooks Koepka Steals Bryson DeChambeau’s Move to Save Face at $25M Showdown

John Catlin joined Bryson DeChambeau‘s Crushers GC as a replacement for Charles Howell III at LIV Golf Houston after Howell was sidelined due to a tibia injury in his left leg. Interestingly, Catlin had decent performances, with T7 in Nashville being his best. However, who would have thought Catlin would be back again on the LIV golf field, and this time as a part of Brooks Koepka’s team?

PGA Tour should move cautiously with Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka feud - Sports Illustrated

READ: ‘I fully accept the sanctions’: LIV Golf pro suspended after positive drugs test

Yes, you read it right. Recently, bunkered.com revealed that Catlin is joining Koepka’s Smash GC as a replacement for Graeme McDowell for the $25 million Greenbrier showdown. The reason McDowell is out of the field of the upcoming event is that he has been suspended for one event for violating LIV Golf’s anti-doping rules. The golfer tested positive for R-methamphetamine, a banned substance that he claims was used in a nasal spray for congestion.

Talking about it, McDowell shared a post on X and said, “Ahead of LIV Nashville, I was struggling with severe congestion that was affecting my sleep. In an effort to manage it, I used a generic Vick’s nasal decongestant without realizing it might be on the banned list.” Not only will he miss out on the next $25 million event, but the golfer was also fined $125,000. Meanwhile, John Catlin will play as his replacement at LIV Golf Greenbrier.

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