‘I Didn’t Have A Problem With the Source Of the Money’: Former LIV Golf Pro Explains Why He Chose to Join the Saudi-Funded League

Former LIV golfer Laurie Canter, who failed to achieve a contract through the promotional event, explains why he joined the circuit two years ago and how his reason then was justified. In 2023, as per reports, the golfers even participated in 11 events on the LIV roster. But ultimately, as the transfer window came into being, the golfer couldn’t prove his eligibility and was relegated from the league.

In a podcast, Canter explained that the lucrative deal was too good to be ignored. Let’s see what he said as the discussions went on!

LIV Golf Pro Found the Deal To Be An Incredible Offer

Canter thinks that, from a playing perspective, it is an amazing offer for any golfer. It not only benefits financially, but also has an easier format with only 48 players competing for a purse of $25 million. Cantlay further went on to explain that he wasn’t interested in knowing where the money came from and wasn’t inclined toward PIF politics. 

“From my own standpoint, I didn’t have a problem with the source of the money because I’d played tournaments in Saudi Arabia before and I was comfortable with that… I feel that’s the nature of our job. We go to a lot of places, there’s lots of things about the places we go I don’t agree with.”

Added to that, he stated,

“I remember at the time, there was things going on about the abortion laws in America and all that kind of stuff and I‘d just played the PGA and I was thinking, well, it depends where I’m going to draw that line. That wasn’t really something that worried me to be honest.”

He felt sympathy for LIV golfers who faced questions after their switch. Over that, he also thinks that there’s no right or wrong answer. Canter also hopes for a collaboration between the two rival tours and hoped the ongoing negotiations between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf happened beforehand.

“I get the feeling that if these talks had happened before LIV had had the first event there could have been a scenario where we have seen more collaboration early”

He continued by saying that the PGA Tour didn’t speak to them for a couple of years and the DP World Tour looked at their options and went a different way.

He hopes that the negotiations will provide a framework to benefit everyone, and that elite golf can still have a better future without rivalry. Canter is playing on the DP World Tour after his T4 finish at the Australian Open.

About the author

Suchita Chakraborty

Suchita Chakraborty is a senior golf writer at The SportsRush. She did her post-graduation at St. Xavier's University. For a year now, she has developed a riveting inclination toward golf, with Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy being her top-tier motivational figures to indulge in the sport. She even lives by the words of the Hall of Famer, "You can always become better", which impels her to excel every day. Her strong suit in golf is covering the LPGA Tour, especially the nooks and crannies of the international event, the Solheim Cup. As a pastime amusement, Suchita also engages herself in reading about golf controversies. Her favorite pick is ‘LIV and Let Die’ by Alan Shipnuck, which covers the PGA-LIV beef.

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