Fred Couples is not holding back his criticism of the LIV Golf tour.
The 1992 Masters champion was asked about the Saudi-backed start-up in a recent interview with Golf.com. He admitted that he was “disappointed” that some high-profile players like Dustin Johnson and Phil Mickelson were leaving the PGA Tour to play for LIV Golf.
Most golfers have cited the shorter season schedule as one of the most appealing reasons to make the jump, along with frustration about various PGA Tour policies and of course the money they are receiving from the Saudis, which some players have been more forthcoming in discussing than others. Couples has been underwhelmed by those explanations.
“These guys — you’ve seen their interviews, right?” Couples told Golf.com. “Have you ever seen Phil look so stupid in his life? They know it’s a joke.”
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It’s no surprise that Couples feels that way. He has explained that he values legacy over money and doesn’t seem to buy that the lighter schedule is enough to convince a player to leave the long-established PGA Tour.
He also believes least of all that the LIV Golf Series can be a “force for good”, as some golfers have intimated.
“They’re all saying they want to change golf, they’re doing it for the better of golf,” Couples said. “No one has said, ‘Hey, when I look back 50 years from now … we’ll have made this tour [what it is].’ No one has said that. You know why? Because they’re not going to be around in three years.”
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Indeed, LIV Golf is not turning any sort of profit at this point. Couples knows that’s not their overall plan, as the Saudi Arabian funders have more than enough money to spare. However, he still has a hard time reconciling how much each golfer is making for such little production, or why it took so much money to land both Mickelson and Johnson if they are big believers in LIV Golf.
“I cannot believe they can pay a guy $150 million for that,” Couples said of LIV Golf’s eight-event calendar in 2022 and 2023. “What, Phil wouldn’t have gone for 100 and Dustin [Johnson] for 70? Then what does that tell you right there?”
Couples also explained that he wouldn’t be able to stomach the notion of taking money from Saudi Arabia, which has been accused of numerous human rights violations over the years.
“I think this is a family thing for me,” Couples said. “I’m a little peon from Seattle, but I know where the money’s coming from, and I think my family would disown me if I went. Of course, that’s easy for me to say because I’m not going, so I can actually tell you whatever I want to tell you.”
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All told, the LIV Golf vs. PGA Tour rivalry is something that isn’t going to sit well with Couples. He believes that those who have left the PGA Tour are going to live to regret it, and he doesn’t plan on being friendly with any of them.
That includes Mickelson, who previously had a good relationship with Couples; the pair were vice captains on the U.S. Ryder Cup team last year.
“I don’t think I’ll ever to talk to him again,” Couples said of Mickelson. “What for? I’m not in the same boat as him anymore, and probably never will play golf with him again. I’m not saying that to be mean. We’re just in different orbits.”
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