Jack Nicklaus Is Done With Those Who Joined LIV Golf: ‘I Don’t Consider Those Guys Part of the Game’

Ahead of his annual Memorial Tournament—which is a Designated Event on the PGA Tour this year—Jack Nicklaus’s stance on those who left the PGA Tour for LIV Golf hasn’t changed.

In fact, he’s doubling down on his thoughts towards the new tour.

At a press conference before his tournament in suburban Columbus, Ohio, Jack said:

“I don’t even consider those guys [LIV Golf players] part of the game anymore.”

“I don’t mean that in a nasty way. This is a PGA Tour event and we have the best field we can possibly have for a PGA Tour event for those who are eligible to be here.”

Jack Nicklaus on a Memorial without LIV Golf’s Brooks Koepka, Cam Smith: ‘I don’t even consider those guys part of the game anymore’ https://t.co/m4MSEpNagP

— Golfweek (@golfweek) May 31, 2023

Nicklaus was asked whether he thinks those who jumped to LIV should be allowed back on the PGA Tour if they wanted to return.

Nicklaus said:

“It’s not up to me, but I don’t know if I’d let them back or not. They made a choice about what they want to do and that’s what the rules are.”

🚨🐻👋 NO COMING BACK — PGA Tour legend & Memorial Tournament host Jack Nicklaus shared his stance on LIV today: “I don’t really consider those guys part of the game anymore; and I don’t mean that in a nasty way… or really mean it that way…To me, we’ve got the best field we… pic.twitter.com/w9fJtyXjIo

— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) May 30, 2023

The Memorial is benefitting from the advent of LIV Golf this week. In response to LIV, the PGA Tour implemented elite-field, big-money Designated Events for this year. The Memorial is one of them, so they have a much stronger field than last year, which includes 22 of the top 25 in the Official World Golf Ranking. Absent are LIV’s Cameron Smith (No. 9) and Brooks Koepka (No. 14), along with Will Zalatoris (No. 10) due to injury.

Nicklaus said last year that he turned down a $100 million offer to be the public face of LIV Golf—intimating that the job that eventually went to Greg Norman was offered to him first.

We’re approaching the one-year anniversary of LIV’s first tournament in London. At the time, Norman made the following comments about the “Golden Bear,” who was also critical of LIV at last year’s Memorial:

“Jack’s a hypocrite. When I heard those comments, I’m thinking, ‘Jack must have a short memory… This is good for our game. If it’s good for the game of golf, it’s good by me.’ So you want the facts? You’ve got the facts.”

Cover Image Via SBNation