The battle between the Saudi-backed LIV Golf tour and the PGA is set to hit its peak, as Aussie Cam Smith looks set to sign with the rebel-breakaway league.
Currently sitting in second on the PGA rankings, Smith becomes the latest of big names to join the controversial league in a matter of months.
Alongside Phil Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau, Smith’s departure from the PGA may spell disaster for the world-leader in Golf.
With reports that Tiger Woods knocked back an offer in the region of $USD600-700 million ($AUD847-988 million), LIV Golf has made a serious statement in trying to persuade golfers to join their tour.
Smith is currently scheduled to play in the FedEx Cup Playoffs but also confirmed his appearance in the President’s cup, which would clash with his reported debut in the LIV Golf tournament.
The major problem this presents for the PGA is that this could be the first massive domino set to fall in what could be a mass player exodus to the LIV tour.
Smith joining the LIV tour finally gives the Saudi-backed tournament a sense of legitimacy that its been searching for since its inception.
Although the PGA looks likely to keep the biggest name in golf, Tiger Woods, it seems inevitable that the likes of Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler will eventually join Smith on the LIV tour.
Scheffler, who currently sits in top-place on the PGA rankings and has only earned a reported $USD20 million ($AUD28 million), he will likely be offered a base deal six or seven times more than that figure, which will only increase with tournament prize money.
The PGA is under serious threat from the LIV tour, even though defected golfers are still trying to pull every lever and continue participating in the elite tournaments the PGA has to offer.
The group of golfers currently in the LIV tour are suing the PGA for not being allowed to play in the prestigious Presidents Cup tournament.
The PGA is well within its rights to not allow them to participate and it could be a motivating factor for players who are sitting on the fence about jumping ship.
Although many have criticised Smith and his fellow peers for taking the outrageous money they are being offered on the LIV tour, the offers that some of the athletes are getting is generational and will more than likely set up their families for hundreds of years to come.
The Saudi Arabians who are funding this tour undoubtedly have their flaws and have some serious allegations against them, but the money on offer is something that 99% of the population physically could not turn down.
Smith joining the LIV tour could be the beginning of the end for the PGA as we know it, but one thing is certain, the LIV tour cannot offer the prestige and history that these golfers seek in their pursuit for glory.
