On the course, Martin Kaymer has enjoyed a number of successes, such as two-Major titles and even The Players Championship. In June 2022 though, the German made the move to LIV Golf, having previously defended the circuit in a number of interviews.
Now, in an exclusive with The Telegraph, the former World No.1 has claimed that: "It’s such a hypocritical world that we live in," with Kaymer explaining that he has received a number of messages since news of the merger.
On the 6th June, a merger between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and the Public Investment Fund was announced, with the PIF seemingly set to invest a substantial amount into the professional golf scene over the foreseeable future.
Certainly, over the past 18 months, those who stayed put on the PGA Tour have been critical of LIV Golf and the way it is funded but, according to Kaymer, he is "really looking forward now to the reaction of all the people who said ‘we don’t want to play for blood money… 'we don’t want to sell our soul'. Well now they need to move to Japan (and play on the Japan Tour), in order to stay true to their word."
When LIV Golf was first brought to our screens in June 2022 at Centurion Club in Hertfordshire, many players received a backlash for moving to the Saudi-backed series. However, according to Kaymer, "I think you just need to follow your intuition and what you believe.
"I stood up to my values and stood up to the feeling in my heart. I was brave enough and stood up for myself to a lot of people, also here in Germany, who criticised me and gave me s**t. Funny enough, they have sent me nice messages (since the announcement). It’s such a hypocritical world that we live in… so, it’s even more important to make your own decisions. Don’t judge too much because, when all is said and done, you might do the same thing."
Kaymer, Lee Westwood and Sergio Garcia are amongst the names who gave up their membership to the DP World Tour
Following the news of the merger, attention has also been on what will happen with the Ryder Cup. Well, although American players can participate, if they qualify of course, the European team seems to have a slightly different qualifying process. Firstly, players must be members of the DP World Tour and, given that most LIV golfers have resigned their memberships to avoid further fines and sanctions following February's arbitration hearing, it's unlikely that we will see a European LIV golfer in Italy at the end of September.
However, the likes of Padraig Harrington have stated that they feel LIV golfers should be included and, according to Kaymer, that is also the case, with the Cleeks GC captain stating: "Everyone has now come together, right, so let’s show the world that and permit the best players in America to play against the best in Europe. I think it would be one of the great Ryder Cups, if they made that happen. And why can’t they? They’ve shown with this deal that anything can be done and be done quickly, too."
