Chris DiMarco’s contentious statement about LIV Golf taking over the PGA Tour Champions sparked a backlash from fans. The co-host of Golf Today on Golf Channel, Eamon Lynch called DiMarco’s statement dumb and went on to criticize him.
Nonetheless, PGA Tour veteran Rocco Mediate stepped in to defend his fellow golfer and stated that DiMarco was just joking around. During his recent appearance at Sirius XM PGA Tour Radio, the 61-year-old golfer expressed that DiMarco’s remarks were made in jest, emphasizing that the controversy surrounding it should now be ceased.
Rocco Mediate said (via Golf Magic):
“It’s called a joke. Deal with it. Next. It’s embarrassing. Just stop it. He’s joking around. We’re having fun. Too bad.”
He further highlighted the fact that the golfers on the senior tour are instead happy.
“That’s — yeah. But we’re happy. Trust me, we’re very happy. And we’re right where we’re supposed to be. I always say that to people. You’re always where you’re supposed to be. You want to be somewhere else. But you’re where you are. … I always say that. And it’s true. Nothing you can hide with that.”
Moreover, according to Mediate, the PGA Tour Champions is fine the way it is as golfers are getting a chance to compete every week for $2M. It is important to note that collectively, the tournaments on this tour will boast a prize pool of $67 million this season.
What Was Chris DiMarco’s Controversial Remark?
Golfers frequently express their appreciation and backing for the LIV league due to the numerous lucrative benefits it offers as a Saudi-backed initiative. Recently, PGA Tour veteran Chris DiMarco weighed in on the prize pool set by the PGA Tour Champions during his appearance at the Subpar podcast.
DiMarco highlighted the significant disparity in prize money between events on the PGA Tour and those on the PGA Tour Champions. He further proposes that the LIV league should buy the PGA Champions Tour, given that the league offers a higher purse.
“We’re kind of hoping that LIV buys the Champions Tour, to tell you the truth. Let’s play for a little real money out here. This is kind of a joke when we’re getting $2 million. There were like seven guys last week from TPC [Sawgrass] that made more money than our purses.”
Whether his comments were just for fun or serious, fans were not happy with his money minded approach given the sport has been suffering, with fans losing interest in the game owing to the PGAT-LIV Golf rivalry.
