Justin Thomas hopes PGA Tour decisions deter others from joining Saudi-backed league
There are some very strong opinions when it comes to the standoff between the PGA Tour and the Saudi Arabia-funded breakaway league, and Justin Thomas made it very clear which side of the aisle he is on.
After the PGA's announcement Wednesday to deny golfers' requests to play in the LIV Golf Invitational in London next month — and with those golfers at risk of being suspended or banned — Thomas said he hopes the decision will encourage pros to not attend.
"I would hope it would deter them from going over there," Thomas said during a news conference Wednesday ahead of the AT&T Byron Nelson, vis ESPN. "I think [PGA Commissioner Jay Monahan] made it very clear from the start what would happen. I think a lot of people are probably like, 'I can't believe you did this,' or, 'Wow, you went through with it.' But this is what he said was going to happen all along. And, yeah, it's one of those things to where he just doesn't want the competing tour, the back and forth."
All players on the PGA, Korn Ferry and PGA Championship tours received a memo on Tuesday that requests to leave the Tour to play in the LIV event will be denied because it conflicts with the RBC Canadian Open. Any golfer who still goes to the London event after being denied will face discipline from the Tour.
"It's like, 'Look if you want to go, go,'" Thomas continued. "[There have] been plenty of guys that have been advocates of it and have just talked it up all the time, and there have been guys behind the scenes that are saying, 'I'm going, I'm doing this.' And like my whole thing is, like, just go then.
"Like, stop going back and forth or like you say you're going to do this. Everybody's entitled to do what they want, you know what I mean? Like if I wanted to go play that tour I could go play that tour. But I'm loyal to the PGA Tour and I've said that."
Of course, Thomas isn't the first PGA Tour pro to speak out against Greg Norman's LIV Golf Invitational, which is funded by Saudi Arabia and draws strong concerns due to the country's disturbing and often violent human rights violations.
Phil Mickelson, Lee Westwood and Sergio Garcia publicly stated they had a desire to play in the London event. There is no word yet as to whether any of them plan to chance being disciplined by the PGA Tour and go anyway.
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