One by one, in the wake of their opening rounds at the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, leading European players lined up to verbalise their own attitudes regarding playing for pay or playing for pride.
Journeyman Paul Waring of England birdied the final two holes to fend off late challenges from Tyrrell Hatton and Rory McIlroy and win the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at Yas Links in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
Tyrrell Hatton was temporarily blinded by champagne when LIV Golf’s announcers stuck a microphone in his face to ask how his first win in the league, and first professional victory in more than three years, felt.
Hatton reportedly received a $US60 million signing bonus. He had been in negotiations for more than a month, and it is believed the hold-up was due to Ryder Cup eligibility concerns going forward. However, it was his Europe teammate, Rory McIlroy, who put his mind at ease.
The Englishman joins Jon Rahm among notable signings by the Saudi-backed tour heading into its third year of existence with this week’s LIV Golf Mayakoba tournament in Mexico.
It has been reported by James Corrigan at the Telegraph that Tyrrell Hatton has joined LIV Golf at the very last minute with the start of the 2024 season just days away.
If you watched even just a single second of this year’s Ryder Cup, you heard about Patrick Cantlay’s hat. Or should we say the absence of a hat? There were rumours circulating about why the American wouldn’t don his Team USA cap and reports of a “fractured” locker room due to the decision.