With the shockwaves still reverberating throughout the golfing world in the wake of Brooks Koepka getting the mother of all lifelines from the PGA Tour in the shape of the ‘Returning Player Program’, and everyone waiting on tenterhooks to see if Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, and Cameron Smith make use of the same thorned olive branch before their window closes on the second of February, my mind can’t help but wonder if the European Tour is viewing this as a similar opportunity to bolster their ranks. Because, obviously, if that quartet of defectors take the PGA Tour up on their offer – which, in my opinion, they’ve knocked out of the park in terms of its design – that would be a killer blow to the LIV project in and of itself, that’s a no-brainer. But were I the European Tour? I’d be seeing if I could expedite that downfall. And all it would take is an offer.
Because, right now, if you don’t happen to be one of the four golfers on this planet who this ‘Returning Member Program’ was designed to facilitate, you’ve got to be feeling nervous right now. How could you not be? If you’re on that LIV roster, not only are you facing the reality that you could very well be witnessing the final days of the league, but, on top of that, you might have nowhere to ply your trade should that actually happen.
And, yes, people will say that they’ve probably earned enough money where that wouldn’t be disastrous. But let’s not forget, while the almighty dollar may well have been enough to see these guys turn their back on legitimate competition, these guys are still competitors. For the vast majority of them, I’d argue that golf is all they really know. So, to be facing a future where they’re unsure if they’re going to have an avenue through which to play at the highest level if the Saudis stop bankrolling LIV out of pure stubbornness? I know that I’d be looking for a way out. Or, at the very least, a contingency plan.
And that’s where the European Tour should step in.
Because, as solid as the European Tour is, the one thing the tour is lacking is star power. Yes, you have the likes of Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, Shane Lowry, and the rest of the Ryder Cup stars who’ll show up for certain events throughout the season – the tournaments in Dubai or the Rolex Series events dotted sporadically throughout the year. But outside of those weeks, for the majority of the year, we don’t see those bona fide stars teeing it up this side of the Atlantic. And, look, that’s understandable. We get it.
But, right now, there is a whole list of big names – some of them former stars of the European Tour, others only passing visitors – that could be tempted to jump ship with the prospect of regular golf. Naturally, you can look at that strong European contingent of former Ryder Cup stars in Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, Graeme McDowell, Paul Casey, and Martin Kaymer – all of them, admittedly, not exactly in their primes, but still capable of winning on tour. Then you have the other European stars, the younger contingent, the likes of Tyrrell Hatton (current Ryder Cup stalwart), Adrian Meronk, Tom McKibbin, Victor Perez, Thomas Pieters (former Ryder Cup player), Sam Horsfield, and David Puig, to name but a few. The Australian and South African cohorts that have graced the European stage in the past, names like Lucas Herbert and Marc Leishman, along with Major winners Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel. And they all come before we get to the likes of Bubba Watson, Patrick Reed, Dustin Johnson, Joaquín Niemann, Harold Varner III, Matthew Wolff, or even Phil Mickelson.
Now, look, would all of those players come? No. But some of them might. And with the chaos that might be playing out behind the scenes over at LIV, an offer like that could be all it takes to tempt some big names back to a world where teeing it up would actually mean something again. Because it’s easy to be bitter, perhaps even revel in it. But, ultimately, that achieves nothing. So, you know what? Maybe let’s just forget the lawsuits and the mediations, and let bygones be bygones. Because, at the end of the day, professional golf doesn’t exist without the fans. Professional golf is for the fans. And what the fans want to see is those golfers who made us feel something in the past or those who have the potential to make us feel something in the future.
Because it should never be too late to come home.
Or, in this case, to get a second chance.
