GREENSBORO (N.C.) — Lucas Glover claims that the toothpaste has been squeezed out of the tube and the PGA Tour’s latest move is an attempt to put it back.
Glover was not shy when asked to explain the differences between the top 70 players this year and the previous model of 125.
The whole thing seems very contrived. I don’t really understand it. I don’t understand why you can’t play the next week if you’re in the top 125. “That’s my opinion,” said he. “I find it silly that the limit is only 70. It’s ridiculous that we will only be playing 70 at these events next year. It’s ridiculous. “I think that it has taken a great deal of drama from the last few tournaments in the regular season and I find it silly.”
Glover ended his press conference after shooting 66 on Friday at Sedgefield to move into contention for the Wyndham championship.
Glover, 43, a former U.S. Open champion, had only just begun to warm up when he spoke exclusively with Golfweek.
Glover stated, “It’s like the toothpaste has been emptied from the tube.” “Some of the men who were pushing to get 70 now are backtracking just a bit. I don’t understand if they’re outside the top 70, or if they just think it’s silly. Why would you not reward the top 125 players and allow them to play at your most important events? We are promoting ourselves as the “best Tour in the World”. The same goes for the elevated events. The Players is the elevated event for those who finish in the top 125 of the world’s best Tour. It’s always been silly to me. “It doesn’t make sense to me.”
Glover expressed his concerns to the PGA Tour’s powers that be in the past, but he does not bother anymore.
He said, “It is a waste. It’s a waste. “I have been here for long enough to realize that it does not matter. The PAC is useless. “They’re just going to do whatever they’re planning to do.”
He expressed his disappointment that the number of designated events would be limited to 70-80 players beginning next season.
“Maybe we can now get some smarter players in the room and speak some sense into them,” said he of the player gaining majority control over the board with the announcement that Tiger Woods will get a new chair on the board. “I don’t understand why the number will be 70-80. We’ve seen that the World Golf Championships model does not work. We no longer play them. Why that number? No one, not even the people who pushed the hardest for this deal and thought that our brass had to appease the men who stood to gain the most from it, has convinced me this is a better option. It’s possible that this is the case. However, we know that it’s not the best deal because we already have another one in place. It’s obvious that what was done last year (following the BMW Championship players-only meeting) did not work, or we wouldn’t need to do this stuff. It’s obvious, and we’ll never be able to convince anyone else. “They’re trying to push the tube back a bit, which is almost impossible.”
Glover expressed his strong opinion on the framework agreement between the Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund announced on June 6th.
It was inevitable, whether it was private equity or not. We could not continue down the path we were on. Anyone with a wit knows that (the Tour), didn’t have money. The (LIV’s) intention was to drag out this lawsuit as long as possible. Tour cannot continue to support $20 million purses for ever, and I’m sure sponsors won’t either. They don’t get the return. That’s evident. That’s obvious. You’re asking for $20 million when you have some valuations that are under $5 million. This is not the way to go. We had to do something, so we did. “It was only a question of where the funds were coming from.”
