'Everybody Has A Price' - Justin Thomas 'Sad' About LIV Golf Departures

Justin Thomas has expressed his sadness that some of his peers have left the PGA Tour, or subsequently been suspended, to play in the LIV Golf Invitational Series.

Thomas has been a staunch supporter of the PGA Tour but admitted that it is "astronomical money" being offered to players and that LIV Golf are "reaching that number with a lot of people." The likes of Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Patrick Reed, Lee Westwood and Louis Oosthuizen are just some to have left, or been suspended by, the PGA Tour following the decision to move to LIV Golf.

"I tossed and turned and lost a lot of sleep last week thinking about what could potentially happen, and I grew up my entire life wanting to play the PGA Tour, wanting to break records, make history, play Presidents Cups, play Ryder Cups," the former World No.1 said ahead of this week's US Open, the third men's Major of 2022.

"The fact that things like that could potentially get hurt because of some of the people that are leaving, and if more go, it's just sad. It's really no other way to say it. It just makes me sad, because like I said, I've grown up my entire life wanting to do that, and I don't want to do anything else.

"The people that have gone, like I said, they have the decision that they're entitled to make. Not necessarily that I agree with it one way or the other, but everything has got a price, I guess.

"I go back and forth so much on different thoughts and how I feel about it. I know what I want to happen, but it's just at the end of the day you don't know if it is going to happen. Like I've said from the beginning, it's astronomical money that they're throwing at people. Everybody has a price for everything. It doesn't matter if you don't want to do it, if you want to do it. There's going to be some kind of number that's going to get people to think about it, and they're reaching that number with a lot of people.

"I just want to be able to basically say my part or what I think about the decision or the PGA Tour. Selfishly I don't want anybody to leave. I've talked to some of my peers that have asked me questions, and I don't know probably as much as others, but I'm, like, you've got to do what's best for you or what you think is best for your career. I'm, like, but selfishly I don't want you to go. That's how I kind of end any phrase or any conversation that I'm having with somebody about it, because at the end of the day I'm not their parent, I'm not the person that's making their decisions. All I can do is plead my case. But everybody out here is a grown-up, they can make their own decisions."

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