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Cantlay finally commented on LIV Golf and made it clear he is loyal to the PGA Tour. Sound familiar?
Patrick Cantlay has been relatively quiet since the Ryder Cup loss in Italy.
Just before the PGA Tour turned its page to 2024, the PGA Tour Policy Board member joined Dylan Dethier of Golf.com and tackled a number of topics, including “Hatgate,” his perceived slow pace of play and the rumors of him running the show on tour.
But the most interesting part of the discussion was how Cantlay insisted that he is loyal to the PGA Tour.
“It’s a personal calculation based on your values, your priorities, etc.,” Cantlay said about those who left for LIV Golf. “So I don’t think it’s a surprise that there’s a certain type of player that’s tended to go over there, on the whole. For me? I have no plans on joining LIV. I don’t plan on joining LIV. I see myself playing on the PGA Tour.”
Similar sentiments were voiced by Jon Rahm before joining LIV. So, we should take this with a grain of salt to some degree.
Nevertheless, Cantlay shed some light on previous offers from the Saudi circuit.
Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images
“I declined offers,” he said. “Pre and post joining the Board. And the most recent offer I got, I declined in the same meeting that my management team brought it to me.”
Cantlay joined the Policy Board in 2023. With the PGA Tour’s future hanging in the balance, he is part of the contingent of players who will help make decisions and takes that earnestly.
“When I joined the Board, I viewed that as a responsibility. It was important for me to take that very seriously, and I have taken that very seriously,” Cantlay said. “My goal, being on the PGA Tour Policy Board, is to represent all the members, both current and future, to the best of my ability. So that’s what I’ve been trying to do.”
Tiger Woods also joined the board recently while Rory McIlroy shockingly resigned.
Jordan Spieth would later replace the 4-time major winner.
There was a lot of movement on the Policy Board in 2023, but the 31-year-old Cantlay isn’t going anywhere. He just signed a three-year extension to stay in his role.
His involvement on the board prompted some interesting rumors about him “seizing control” of the Tour. Cantlay used logic to dispel such notions.
“I think if you just look at the facts out there, it would be impossible for any one player to take control,” Cantlay said. “It would be impossible for all the players together to take control; we only have half the seats on the board, and any major vote around any of the things we’ve been talking about requires a two-thirds majority.”
Photo by Chris Condon/PGA TOUR via Getty Images
The 8-time PGA Tour winner appears to want what is best for the PGA Tour.
Negotiations with the Saudi PIF investment company and the PGA Tour had to be extended into 2024. They couldn’t finalize a decision by their initial December 31st self-imposed deadline. He and the rest of the Policy Board will continue to work through the framework into the spring.
Cantlay might not be a fan favorite, but the former UCLA Bruin is committed to his role and improving the PGA Tour.
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, be sure to follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.
