Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images
Lucas Glover let his thoughts roll on the new PGA Tour changes after his round on Friday at the Wyndham Championship.
Lucas Glover is a veteran PGA Tour player who has seen a lot of changes throughout the years.
This year has featured many changes in the golf world. Now, the PGA Tour is trying to implement more 70-80 man fields in 2024. The tour also decreased the FedEx Cup Playoff spots from 125 to 70, and Glover is not thrilled.
“It’s very contrived to me… I think if you finish in the Top-125, I don’t know why you don’t get to play next week,” Glover said. “I think it’s silly that it’s only 70. I think it’s silly that we’re playing 70 in these elevated events. I think it’s silly.”
He shot a 64 on Friday at the Wyndham Championship. That score shot him up the leaderboard and into contention. Like a lot of the players in the field, Glover is trying to make it into the playoffs but is currently outside that Top 70 bubble.
That was where the former U.S. Open champion ended his press conference. However, the 43-year-old didn’t stop at that. He later spoke exclusively to GolfWeek.
“We’re touting ourselves as the best Tour in the world, so why wouldn’t you reward the best 125 guys and let them play in your biggest events,” Glover said. “Same with the elevated events. You finish 125th on the best Tour in the world, and you’re in one elevated event, the Players… It doesn’t make any sense to me.”
There have been rumors about changes to elevated events next season, including no-cuts and smaller fields. The PGA Tour is set to unveil the 2024 schedule on Aug. 8.
Earlier this week, Tiger Woods became the sixth PGA Tour’s policy board member. In theory, that gives players at worst an equal say over the framework deal with the Saudi PIF and LIV Golf. Glover wasn’t convinced.
“It’s a waste of breath, a waste of time,” he said. “I’ve been out here long enough to know that it doesn’t matter. The PAC’s [Player Advisory Council] useless. They’re going to do what they’re going to do. Maybe now we can get some smarter people in the room and talk some sense into them.”
Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images
Glover then delved into the blockbuster deal with the PIF itself, and did not hold back.
“We couldn’t continue to go down the road we were going,” Glover said. “Anyone with a brain knows [the Tour] didn’t have the money. [LIV] was going to drag this lawsuit out as long as they could. The Tour can’t prop up $20 million purses forever — pretty sure the sponsors don’t want to do it either.”
“They’re not getting the return. That’s evident. We know that too. We’ve got some valuations of under $5 million, and you’re asking the sponsor for $20 million. That doesn’t work. So, of course, we were going to have to do something. It was just a matter of where the money was coming from.”
As more information has come to light through Congressional hearings, Glover’s assertions about the financial problems facing the PGA Tour appear to be real. The writing on the wall screams LIV Golf is not going anywhere, nor is the division within the sport.
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and on Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.
