‘You can’t have your cake and eat it!’ Matt Fitzpatrick claims LIV Golf stars should NOT be allowed to return to the PGA Tour… but US Open champion insists he is happy with members of the Saudi-backed series playing in the Ryder Cup
- The Saudi-backed LIV Golf series continues to cause a bitter civil war in the sport
- There have been reports regarding golfers wanting to return to the PGA Tour
- However, US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick outlined his opposition to this
US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick believes players who defected to the controversial LIV Golf series should not be allowed to return to the PGA Tour.
The Saudi-backed competition has created a bitter civil war in the sport since it was set up last year and continues to cause significant debate.
Speaking ahead of The Players Championship where reigning champion Cameron Smith – who is part of LIV Golf – is banned as a result, Fitzpatrick claimed if anyone tries to return after their contract with the breakaway tour expires, this shouldn’t be tolerated.
‘My personal view is you can’t have your cake and eat it,’ the Englishman told Sky Sports News.
‘Don’t get me wrong they can turn around and say “well you can come and play LIV if you want” but I don’t want to do that.
Matt Fitzpatrick says those who joined LIV Golf shouldn’t be allowed to return to the PGA Tour
Rising Belgian star Thomas Pieters was one of the latest to defect to the controversial tour
‘I want to play PGA Tour and DP World Tour and I think I just would not let people come back if they’ve gone to LIV.
‘I just think it would be incredibly unfair of the PGA Tour to do that and I’d be staggered if they did allow that.
‘I think if you spoke to Tiger Woods he’d probably have the same stance. You’ve left the tour you’ve been on for so long and done so well in it and now you’ve left for something you think is better but maybe it’s not and the grass isn’t always greener.’
Fitzpatrick also had his say on whether players who are part of LIV Golf should be allowed to play in the Ryder Cup.
It is a topic that has generated much discussion with former great Sir Nick Faldo insisting any Europeans who defected to LIV Golf should never play in the prestigious event again.
Many legendary European golfers who have been part of various successes over recent years have joined LIV, such as Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia, Martin Kaymer and Graeme McDowell.
Sir Nick Faldo claimed Europeans involved in LIV Golf shouldn’t be part of the Ryder Cup again
Many legendary European golfers such as Lee Westwood (left) and Ian Poulter (right) who have been part of various Team Europe Ryder Cup successes over recent years have joined LIV
Similarly, several rising stars such as Belgian golfer Thomas Pieters are also part of the competition.
However, Fitzpatrick posed a different view to Faldo and many others and claimed he was just focused on making sure Europe had the best possible team available.
He added: ‘Obviously I have just said there about not letting them back on the PGA Tour or DP World Tour, I completely agree with that, but the Ryder Cup is a completely different case.’
‘For me, I would want the 12 best players on the team. Hopefully I am one of those, to try and win. That is what the goal should be, to try and win, not to be nice about who should be playing, in my opinion.’