Former US President Donald Trump on Monday urged golfers to “take the money” and signal with the Saudi-backed LIV collection amid reviews extra gamers had been poised to join the controversial circuit.
Trump, who’s internet hosting LIV occasions at two of his golf programs this 12 months, mentioned in a submit on his Truth Social community that gamers shouldn’t hesitate to abandon the PGA Tour, which he branded “disloyal.”
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“All of those golfers that remain ‘loyal’ to the very disloyal PGA, in all of its different forms, will pay a big price when the inevitable MERGER with LIV comes, and you get nothing but a big ‘thank you’ from PGA officials who are making Millions of Dollars a year,” Trump wrote.
“If you don’t take the money now, you will get nothing after the merger takes place, and only say how smart the original signees were,” he added.
Trump concluded the submit with a message of congratulations to newly minted British Open champion Cam Smith, the Australian who stormed to victory at St Andrews on Sunday with an outstanding ultimate spherical.
Smith is amongst the newest checklist of names who’re reportedly poised to signal with LIV Golf, which has already recruited a slew of prime names with jaw-dropping contracts which in some circumstances are reported to have run into the a whole bunch of hundreds of thousands of {dollars}.
LIV Golf, which is fronted by Australian nice Greg Norman, is bankrolled by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
Human Rights teams have criticized the enterprise saying it exists solely to enhance Saudi Arabia’s worldwide status, a phenomenon labelled “sportswashing.”
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Smith bristled — however didn’t problem an outright denial — when requested about reviews linking him to LIV following his victory in the Open on Sunday.
“I just won the British Open, and you’re asking about that. I think that’s pretty not that good,” Smith mentioned.
“I don’t know, mate. My team around me worries about all that stuff. I’m here to win golf tournaments.”
Besides Smith, LIV can also be reported to be on the brink of signing Swedish star Henrik Stenson. Stenson is predicted to be stripped of Europe’s Ryder Cup captaincy if he indicators with LIV.
Golf analyst David Feherty has cut up with NBC and is predicted to join LIV broadcasts, the New York Post reported on Monday. The 63-year-old native of Northern Ireland is a former US and European tour participant.
‘Frustration and anger’
Trump, in the meantime, didn’t deal with criticism of the involvement of his golf properties with LIV occasions by family members of these killed and injured throughout the September 11, 2001 assaults on New York and Washington. Fifteen of the 19 hijackers concerned in the atrocity had been Saudi nationals.
In an open letter to Trump launched on Sunday, the 9/11 Justice group urged Trump to minimize ties to LIV Golf. Trump National Golf Club at Bedminster, New Jersey is ready to host a LIV occasion on July 29-31, whereas his Trump National course at Doral in Florida will stage the October 27-30 match.
“We simply cannot understand how you could agree to accept money from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s golf league to host their tournament at your golf course, and to do so in the shadows of Ground Zero in New Jersey, which lost over 700 residents during the attacks,” the group wrote in its letter.
“It is difficult for us to fully express the extreme pain, frustration and anger this upcoming tournament at Bedminster causes our community… it is incomprehensible to us that a former President of the United States would cast our loved ones aside for personal financial gain.”