Forty-five-year-old Lucas Glover has been across the block and has a greater perspective on the skilled sport than most.
He received the U.S. Open in 2009, conquering a rain-swept Bethpage Black whereas keeping off Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods. His subsequent victory got here in 2011 on the Wells Fargo Championship, however then he encountered a decade-long drought, which might be attributed to accidents, slumps, and points in his private life. That is all to say that Glover has been on the pinnacle of the game, however he has plummeted to its lowest factors too. He is aware of what it means to be a serious champion, but he was additionally a journeyman struggling to maintain his PGA Tour card many occasions over.
That’s why his perspective issues.
Given {that a} deal between the PGA Tour and the Saudi Public Funding Fund is reportedly “shut,” Glover supplied an answer for the tour’s potential actions concerning prime LIV golfers. The previous Clemson Tiger stated the tour ought to lengthen an olive department and invite these gamers to its Signature Occasions.
“Should you’re going to place a top-end occasion, there’s some top-end, large expertise enjoying LIV,” Glover stated on his Sirius XM Radio Present on Thursday.
“If we’re going to have a for-profit money-making group, then we’re going to want these guys, and golf wants them too. If that’s unification, if that’s enjoying head-to-head, no matter they give you, the very best gamers on the planet have to be enjoying.”
Glover has beforehand trashed the Signature Occasions, the eight limited-field tournaments with huge purses. The tour established these to cater to its stars, tv sponsors, and audiences—however additionally they gave the journeyman tour participant the ole ‘Heisman’ shove, distancing itself from these gamers and making it more durable for these stars to compete among the many greatest.
Therefore, Glover believes that the tour ought to invite gamers like Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, and Cameron Smith to take part. It could assist create extra intrigue amongst followers and sponsors. It could additionally result in extra drama.
Glover has additionally advocated for bigger fields in Signature Occasions.
“It ought to be a fuller area when you’re placing up $22 to $25 million for considered one of these occasions, or possibly much more, who is aware of, however limiting the followers and limiting the TV viewers to 70 to 80 gamers, it actually limits the storylines,” Glover stated.
“It limits the drama. It limits the general competitors, in my view, as a result of the extra our bodies, the extra golfers, the extra competitors. That’s simply frequent sense. And on prime of that, you’re taking it yet another stage. It’s higher for the followers on website, as a result of then you definately get golf all day.”
Jack Milko is a golf workers author for SB Nation’s Taking part in By. Observe him on X @jack_milko.
