Matthew Wolff plays a shot from the first tee during the third round of the Travelers Championship golf tournament. Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Two more PGA golfers join LIV Golf, plan on playing in upcoming event in Oregon

By Chelena Goldman | Last updated 6/27/22

Two more PGA Tour pros have defected to go play for the enemy, as Matthew Wolff and Carlos Ortiz have both reportedly joined the LIV Golf field and are expected to play in the breakaway league's upcoming event at Pumpkin Ridge in Portland, Oregon.

Amateur golfer Eugenio Chacarra, ranked second in the world, will also join the new league.

The field is set.@matthew_wolff5 ✅@carlosortizGolf ✅@Eugeniochacarra ✅#LIVGolf
— LIV Golf (@LIVGolfInv) June 27, 2022

Wolff, 23, found early success on the PGA Tour when he defeated Bryson DeChambeau and Collin Morikawa at the 2019 3M Open but has struggled to reach that same level in recent seasons. There had been early speculation that Wolff might leave for the rival league, a choice some experts think is connected to how he has played lately.

I feel sad for Matthew Wolff. Great kid, really personable. Tremendous talent, even if it hasn’t shown recently. Wonder if he would’ve made the same decision if he was still a top-20 player. Just hope he’s not mortgaging the future for a big payday in the present.
— Jason Sobel (@JasonSobelTAN) June 27, 2022

Ortiz, 31, has been on the PGA Tour since 2019 and is currently ranked 118th in the Official World Golf Rankings.

The event at Pumpkin Ridge is just the second ever for LIV Golf, which held its first event in London earlier this month. The rival league continues to be heavily criticized for being funded by the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund and for offering participants exorbitant sums of money despite not implementing a cut system during its events.

The PGA suspended 17 current and former members for participating in the LIV Golf event in London. There is no word yet on whether more pros will be suspended as the two leagues continue battling to have the world's best golfers on their playing fields.

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