'I Always Thought It Was A Non-Starter' - Former Ryder Cup Captain Not A Fan Of 'Contrived' LIV Golf

Former Ryder Cup captain Tony Jacklin is not a big fan of LIV Golf, as he offered some forthright opinions on not only the team golf tour but also the current state of the sport.

Jacklin accused the Saudi PIF of trying to "manufacture or buy history" by ploughing billions of dollars into LIV Golf - and produce a format the two-time Major champion is no fan of.

CEO Scott O'Neil has just revealed a new investor he says will see LIV Golf continue beyond this season, when the Saudi PIF pulls its funding - but Jacklin always thought the league was a "non-starter".

Speaking to business consultants Champions (UK) ahead of hosting the annual British Par 3 Championship, Jacklin also gave his strong views on the new PGA Tour structure, the DP World Tour and the continued distance debate in golf.

“It was backed by enormous wealth and supported by figures such as Phil Mickelson and Greg Norman, but I always thought it was a non-starter," is how Jacklin describes LIV Golf.

“They thought they could manufacture or buy history, and you cannot do that."

And unsurprisingly for a golfing traditionalist such as Jacklin, the LIV Golf format was not exactly to his liking.

“I do not understand who wants music playing on the tees, shotgun starts and uncertainty over where the eventual winner will finish," he added.

"The whole thing feels contrived."

Jacklin says LIV Golf caused "chaos" in the sport with the huge influx in cash countered by a similar move from the PGA Tour - all of which has turned him off from modern pro golf.

“That kind of money was brought into golf, and it threw everything into chaos, including the PGA Tour.

“There is now so much money swirling around the PGA Tour that, to a large extent, I have lost interest. The money in golf has become obscene, and it has turned it into a completely different game."

DP World Tour just a feeder for PGA Tour

On the future of the PGA Tour, Jacklin does not think the new two-tiered system being introduced is a huge change, more an adjustment of the current format, while it's confirmed in his mind the status of golf in Europe.

“I think they have essentially reshaped what they already had," he says. "The Korn Ferry Tour was always the second tier and provided players with a route onto the main tour. They have simply made it a little clearer and more straightforward.

“It is also clear that the DP World Tour has become a feeder tour for the PGA Tour."

As someone who played in a different era, Jacklin echoes the sentiments of many from that generation when it comes to the issue of technology and distance in golf.

“Do not even get me started on what the USGA and The R&A have allowed to happen with equipment and the ball," said the 82-year-old.

“The game now has little to do with the one I started playing in 1953. It is time for me to step back and observe from afar. I will watch and hope everybody is happy doing what they are doing.”