Wyndham Clark unknowingly aligns with Phil Mickelson’s LIV Golf stance4 min read

U.S. Open Champion Wyndham Clark desires to see extra world occasions on the PGA Tour.

He’s in Southern Spain this week, the place the DP World Tour is staging the Estrella Damm N.A. Andalucía Masters.

Clark final performed within the Ryder Cup, held in Rome, Italy.

“I hope there are extra occasions we are able to play over right here,” Clark stated Wednesday.

“I really like the PGA Tour, I really like the US, however I additionally love touring the world and rising the sport of golf; I believe it’s the very best factor for golf, to make it a worldwide recreation. If we might play extra occasions outdoors the U.S. which have each U.S. gamers and worldwide gamers, I believe it’s the very best factor for the sport.”

Certainly, golf is a worldwide recreation, as over 200 nations have a minimum of one golf course.

But, the PGA Tour has predominately held its tournaments in the US—forcing the very best gamers on the earth to stay and play in America.

Picture by Stuart Franklin/Getty Pictures

Throughout the 2022-23 wraparound season, the PGA Tour staged 11 of its 54 occasions in Japan, Bermuda, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Canada, Scotland, and England.

Each different occasion occurred in the US, with zero tournaments in continental Europe.

In the meantime, LIV Golf prides itself on staging occasions internationally. The Saudi-backed tour hosted occasions within the Center East, Australia, Southeast Asia, and even Andalucía in 2023.

Australian Greg Norman, the CEO of LIV Golf, has longed for a world schedule because the mid-Nineties. He has seen this dream come to fruition by LIV.

PGA Tour defector and Corridor of Fame golfer, Phil Mickelson, has usually spoken publicly about LIV’s mission to develop the sport internationally.

Take this previous week, as an example. Brooks Koepka received the LIV Golf occasion in Saudi Arabia. Now, the breakaway tour heads to Miami this week for the ultimate event of the season.

Maybe a extra globalized schedule for elite golfers will appear like this in 2025, ought to the PGA Tour’s settlement with the Saudi Public Funding Fund (PIF)—LIV Golf’s benefactor—undergo.

“I might adore it if we had 5 to seven occasions outdoors the U.S. which have been in Europe, or in Asia, or the Center East, or wherever it’s,” Clark added.

Picture by Stuart Franklin/Getty Pictures

Perhaps the PGA Tour ought to co-sanction extra nationwide opens throughout Europe, much like what they do with the DP World Tour’s Genesis Scottish Open.

The Italian Open is an enormous event, as is the Spanish Open and the Open de France. Loads of others match this invoice, too.

With gamers making tens of millions of {dollars} these days, touring the world over has turn into rather more manageable. It’s not like the times of outdated when Lee Trevino and Jack Nicklaus would lose cash by competing in The Open Championship because of journey and hospitality prices.

As an alternative, the world’s greatest have the luxurious to journey the world, play completely different venues, and even take pleasure in native cultures.

“It’s been an excellent expertise,” Clark stated of his time in Southern Spain to this point.

“The meals’s been improbable, the individuals are wonderful, and as for the golf course, I used to be actually pleasantly shocked. I actually haven’t performed a lot golf like this. The bushes on the market, the topography, it’s so stunning.”

Added Matt Kuchar: “It jogs my memory loads of Southern California. You’ve acquired mountains, you’ve acquired the ocean, you’ve acquired palm bushes, it’s a fairly particular place.”

Taking part in around the globe permits followers inside their house nations to see a number of the recreation’s greatest stars, too. Golf followers are all over the place, and Clark desires to see the tour ship its product to them sooner or later.

Jack Milko is a golf employees author for SB Nation’s Taking part in Via. You may observe him on Twitter @jack_milko for extra golf protection. You should definitely try @_PlayingThrough too.