Tiger Woods wonders what incentives LIV players will have with guaranteed money and if young players will ever be able to play in a major

Young players like Santiago Tarrio who played at the Barbasol Championship might never get to play in a major event if they join the LIV Tour. (Larry Vaught Photo)

After watching so many professional golfers chasing their dreams at last week’s Barbasol Championship outside Nicholasville, it just reminded me of how hard it is to be successful on the PGA Tour.

There is no guaranteed prize money — even for the world’s best player. Earnings are based on that week’s performance, not long-term contracts.

Or that’s how it is on the PGA Tour but now the LIV Tour, introduced by Greg Norman, is changing all of that or at least trying. It is offering guaranteed money and less golf and many of golf’s biggest names have jumped at the chance and left the PGA Tour.

Tiger Woods is playing at The Open Championship this week at historic St. Andrews in Scotland. It’s the 150th Open Championship and a week to celebrate the history of golf.

But the LIV controversy won’t go away and Woods was asked Tuesday about players who have chosen to join the LIV Tour. Woods said he disagrees with what they are doing.

“I think that what they’ve done is they’ve turned their back on what has allowed them to get to this position. Some players have never got a chance to even experience it. They’ve gone right from the amateur ranks right into that organization and never really got a chance to play out here and what it feels like to play a TOUR schedule or to play in some big events,” Woods said.

“And who knows what’s going to happen in the near future with world-ranking points, the criteria for entering major championships. The governing body is going to have to figure that out.”

He wasn’t done.

“Some of these players may not ever get a chance to play in major championships. That is a possibility. We don’t know that for sure yet. It’s up to all the major championship bodies to make that determination,” Woods said. “But that is a possibility, that some players will never, ever get a chance to play in a major championship, never get a chance to experience this right here, walk down the fairways at Augusta National.”

“That, to me, I just don’t understand it. I understand what Jack (Nicklaus) and Arnold (Palmer) did because playing professional golf at a TOUR level versus a club pro is different, and I understand that transition and that move and the recognition that a touring pro versus a club pro is.”

Pay close attention to the next things he said.

“But what these players are doing for guaranteed money, what is the incentive to practice? What is the incentive to go out there and earn it in the dirt? You’re just getting paid a lot of money up front and playing a few events and playing 54 holes. They’re playing blaring music and have all these atmospheres that are different,” he said.

“I just don’t see how, out of 54 holes — I can understand 54 holes is almost like a mandate when you get to the Senior Tour. The guys are little bit older and a little more banged up. But when you’re at this young age and some of these kids — they really are kids who have gone from amateur golf into that organization — 72-hole tests are part of it. We used to have 36-hole playoffs for major championships. That’s how it used to be — 18-hole U.S. Open playoffs.”

“I just don’t see how that move is positive in the long term for a lot of these players, especially if the LIV organization doesn’t get world-ranking points and the major championships change their criteria for entering the events. It would be sad to see some of these young kids never get a chance to experience it and experience what we’ve got a chance to experience and walk these hallowed grounds and play in these championships.”