Rickie Fowler has clarified that he will not make a move to LIV Golf. He further stated that he found it inspiring to witness the efforts of Tiger Woods and Patrick Cantlay as player directors towards the welfare of the tour and its players. Their efforts motivated him to stay on the tour. Following the move by Jon Rahm, it was suspected that the rival league was planning on luring more golfers.
But pouring water on their expectations, Fowler asserted his strong resistance to the league and turned down all possible thoughts of his move. Before him, Aberg and Hovland also dismissed LIV offers. As the framework agreement is underway and negotiations are ongoing, Fowler has described the rigorous efforts of Cantlay in coming up with a structure that satisfies all.
Rickie Fowler Expresses His Views On Patrick Cantlay’s Contribution to the Tour
The framework agreement was supposed to be settled by December 31st, but the deadline has been extended to March. Moreover, Sports Strategic Group will also be investing in this new entity. Now, some player directors are working 24/7, apart from golf, on the tour’s affairs. Fowler feels obliged to them and thus, Cantlay has inspired him most to stay on the PGA Tour.
Fowler stated in an interview:
“Seeing how much work the guys on the [PGA Tour] board, especially being around [Patrick] Cantlay during the off-season a little bit and leading up to [The Sentry], I’ve never seen a person be on the phone so much.”
Added to that, he continued,
“I was on the PAC [Player Advisory Council] last year but have tried to stay out of the way because the guys that are in there, I trust. With Jordan, Cantlay, Tiger and the other guys, I’ve just trusted that we’re all going to end up in a good spot and I have zero plans to go anywhere.”
Cantlay has been involved in controversies since the Ryder Cup. His ‘HatGate’ created a surge of rumors. This made him an easy target during negotiations and also made him responsible for the flaws on the tour’s end. But Cantlay said in an interview that “it would be impossible for any one player to take control”. Thus, the golfer doesn’t control the tour.
Cantlay is one of those guys who’s striving for the benefit of the tour. Hence, keeping trust in the player directors, the golfers are expecting an agreement that favors all.
