Tom Watson Blasts Pga Tour Over Returns Of Liv Golf Rebels Reed And Koepka

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The honorary first thrust wasn’t nan only changeable Tom Watson played connected nan first greeting of nan 2026 Masters. Moments aft taking portion successful nan ceremonial Watson, who won 8 majors, lambasted nan PGA Tour complete its caller determination to let Brooks Koepka and Patrick Reed to return from LIV Golf.

Watson said by reinstating Reed and Koepka nan Tour had reneged connected nan promises they made to nan players who had remained loyal to them during nan schism. “I thought nan LIV players, erstwhile they left, were expected to beryllium banned for life,” he said.

Watson said that if he were moving things, Reed, Koepka and anyone other who wants to return would person to suffice done playing connected nan Korn Ferry Tour. “If I was nan commissioner, that’s what I’d do.” Koepka made his return to nan PGA Tour aft 4 years pinch LIV astatine nan Farmers Insurance Open successful January. Reed is owed to rejoin adjacent year.

“When nan players left, they violated nan No 1 norm that we really had retired here, which is to protect nan sponsors. Sponsors request players. They request nan names to beryllium capable to beforehand their tournaments,” Watson said. “When nan players near for LIV, I deliberation it was fundamentally over. They chose to spell for nan money, which is fine, but to return to nan Tour, I thought, was a nonstarter, but apparently it’s not.”

Patrick Reed plays a changeable during a believe information astatine Augusta this week

Reed said this week: “I’m really excited evidently to travel backmost to nan PGA Tour. I’ve ever known, that erstwhile you look astatine it, nan champion players successful nan world and nan deepest fields from apical to bottommost are connected nan PGA Tour.” He described it arsenic a family decision. “I really enjoyed each my clip complete location astatine LIV. It was a blast,” he said. But “to beryllium honorable pinch you, it was 1 of those decisions that I felt for illustration was nan best, not conscionable for nan play game, but besides for my family to walk much clip pinch them.”

Watson’s chap honorary starter, Gary Player, utilized nan property convention to explicate that he felt Tiger Woods should beryllium banned from driving aft his caller car crash. “He’s successful pain. Do I blasted him for taking medicine? Hell, no. He has slumber deprivation. Do I blasted him for taking thing to thief him sleep? No,” Player said.

“But I don’t deliberation he should thrust a car. When you’re taking that medicine, it’s vulnerable erstwhile you’re driving a car, aforesaid arsenic it’s vulnerable erstwhile you look astatine your compartment telephone successful nan car. There’s 6,000 accidents a time successful centrifugal cars. So I deliberation each he’s sewage to do is conscionable not thrust a car and get a chauffeur.”