The latest PGA Tour stars to join LIV Golf are Tyrell Hatton and Jon Rahm. These two golfers shocked the golf public by leaving, especially the Spaniard, who at that moment was one of the best players on the Tour. A year has passed since then, and not much has changed in terms of the golf scene. Although both were optimistic that by coming to the Saudi-backed Tour they could speed up negotiations between the PIF and the PGA Tour, things remained at a standstill.
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In an interview with Mail Sport, the 33-year-old golfer reflected on his arrival on the breakaway Tour, admitting that he does not regret the decision.
The media has been pushing the narrative for months that Jon Rahm is not happy playing on LIV Golf, but things seem different. Hatton is frustrated by the media's headlines and their masquerading, stressing that he and Rahm are satisfied being on this Tour.
"Forgive me saying this but that is just media bull----, he said.
"People showed me some of the stuff that was written, but from being around Jon that's never even been a thought process that crossed my mind.
He's really enjoyed it and he has certainly played some pretty good golf."
The former PGA Tour player admitted that he rejected the offer from LIV in December 2023 but changed his mind after some time. Making the decision to become part of the controversial Tour carried with it consequences. Tyrell had to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of her decision and then definitely decide what the next step in her career would be.
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The pressure he felt was enormous, but he knew he had to make the best decision for himself. Looking from this perspective, the Englishman has no regrets, feeling that he did the best thing for his career.
"Then during the Dubai Desert Classic, everything flipped," he said.
"My head was a bit all over the place, and it was a weird time.
Like I said, it was a bit scary, thinking of what you are risking, but honestly, looking back a year on, it has been great how it has played out."
Of course, the 33-year-old was immediately under pressure from the media and fans, and day after day his name and that of his colleague Jon Rahm filled the covers of magazines and newspapers.
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Regardless of the fact that he could have expected such a sequence of events, the Englishman was disappointed, not understanding why there was such a fuss about his arrival at LIV Golf. Although the situation has been somewhat calmer lately, especially since LIV Golf has not hired a name from the PGA Tour for a year, the general impression is that the departure of another PGA Tour star would create noise again.
Do you think that the Saudi-backed Tour will be able to hire someone in the coming days? It is difficult to give an answer, but everyone hopes for a merger and unification of these two parties.
Tyrrell Hatton is probably also a golfer who hopes for a merger, wanting to play again with colleagues from the PGA Tour and fight for the biggest trophies. The current situation does not inspire optimism in him.
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LIV Golfer deleted his social media accounts, tired of negativity and media captions. Hatton realized that the best thing for him was to step away, devote himself to golf, and ignore everything that was happening around him. The Englishman does not understand why individuals who do not know him spread messages of hatred, stressing that we are all human.
There was a bit of negativity. I was a bit fed up with it anyway and that was the tipping point.
I didnt feel I needed the negativity from people I have never met, but who think theyve got a right to message things that arent very nice. Were all human and I just dont need that from people who should have no influence on how I feel.
The Ryder Cup player is not the only one who encountered such reactions from fans, but a large number of his colleagues also faced the same. His colleagues still do not follow his example and are part of social media regardless of the reactions. People are generally not the same, and so are golfers, but of course, if such things cause you unnecessary stress, a good move is to step away from social media.
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Do you think that some of the LIV Golfers will follow the example of Hatton, or is it more realistic that the hatred towards defectors will disappear in the near future?
This year could solve many mysteries.
