PGA Tour is laying out plans to increase cash prizes at several marquee events and revamp its schedule; Collin Morikawa says he's 'here to stay' on PGA Tour; US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick 'not concerned' by defectors; Brooks Koepka set to play in second LIV event next week
Wednesday 22 June 2022 19:00, UK
The PGA Tour is laying out plans to increase purses at several marquee events and revamp its schedule with Brooks Koepka expected to join the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Invitational series.
Sky Sports News understands that the four-time major winner - who has removed all references to the PGA Tour from his social media profiles - will tee it up in the second event in Portland next week.
The 32-year-old is set to become the latest big name to join the controversial series, following Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson, and has withdrawn from Thursday's PGA Tour event, the Travelers Championship in Connecticut.
LIV also announced on Tuesday that world number 20 Abraham Ancer has also joined LIV and will play in next week's event, but world No 4 Collin Morikawa has denied talk that he's set to follow.
The two-time major winner, and defending Open champion, tweeted on Tuesday: "To state for the record, once again, you all are absolutely wrong. I've said it since February at Riviera that I'm here to stay on the @PGATOUR and nothing has changed."
World number six Patrick Cantlay was asked for his thoughts on defections to the LIV series and voiced his concerns about golf's divide. He said: "I think everyone really wants to play against the best players in the world.
"So any time there's a potential fracture in the sport I don't think that's good for the sport. You don't see it in any of the other major sports. In general all the talent is on one tour or league. So, yeah, I think it's definitely a real concern."
Asked specifically about Koepka now not playing in the Travelers Championship - which is live on Sky Sports from Thursday - Harris English said: "Yeah, it sucks Brooks isn't playing. I thought he was in the field weeks ago and obviously to lose a top player like that kind of sucks. You want to play against some of the best guys in the world.
"I love the PGA Tour. I've dreamed about being on the PGA Tour since I was a kid. This is my 11th year out here. Still have to pinch myself every day that I'm playing on the PGA Tour against the best players in the world. So I enjoy it out here."
The PGA Tour is set to announce plans to compete with the burgeoning LIV Golf Invitational Series.
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan reportedly unveiled plans to increase the purses at limited-field events in the regular season to at least $20m and establish a new, lucrative fall schedule for the top 50 finishers in the FedEx Cup standings.
Those new tournaments would rotate sites around the world and - like LIV's tournaments - have no cut.
Monahan is scheduled to speak with the media at TPC River Highlands on Wednesday, with the tournament beginning Thursday.
Newly-crowned US Open champion Matt Fitzpatrick has also reiterated his commitment to the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, saying he was "not really concerned" about the current list of defectors.
"I think whenever you've got Justin Thomas, Rory McIlroy - I saw Collin Morikawa's come out and made a statement today - Scottie Scheffler, I feel like you've got some great players there," Fitzpatrick said.
"For me, they're more than good enough to compete with any rival tour that might want to try and take hold of golf. I'm not really concerned about it.
"I know that the PGA Tour is not going anywhere, the DP World Tour is not going anywhere and I feel like that's the important thing for me is that I've got a place to play and that's where I want to play.
"I think the Tour's not going anywhere and as long as they've got Tiger Woods' support and Rory's support, Justin Thomas, there'll be no issues in my opinion."
Koepka was asked about defecting prior to last week's US Open and gave a tetchy response about why he had seemingly decided to stay on the PGA Tour. He said: "There's been no other option to this point, so where else are you going to go?"
When the reporter pointed out that the LIV events had started, Koepka added: "As of last week. That's it. I wasn't playing last week."
He added: "I'm here. I'm here at the US Open. I'm ready to play US Open and I think it kind of sucks, too, you are all throwing this black cloud over the US Open. It's one of my favourite events. I don't know why you guys keep doing that.
"The more legs you give it, the more you keep talking about it."
It was announced earlier this month any players involved in the LIV Series would be indefinitely suspended from the PGA Tour.
A letter confirming that was sent to PGA Tour members by commissioner Jay Monahan shortly after the opening LIV Golf tournament got under way at Centurion Club in Hertfordshire on June 9.
The total prize fund across the initial eight LIV events is £200m, with Charl Schwartzel scooping £3.86m when he won the inaugural 54-hole competition at Centurion Club - nearly three times the figure he claimed for his major success at the Masters in 2011.
Schwartzel and runner-up Henni Du Plessis were both part of Stinger GC, who won the team competition alongside Branden Grace and Louis Oosthuizen, with the quartet all earning an additional $750,000 share of the $3million team first prize.
The breakaway series is backed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) - the owners of Newcastle United - and involves huge sums of money for the competitors.
No official World Golf Ranking points are awarded for LIV events, although CEO Greg Norman says an application will be submitted for that to change.
The inaugural event took place at the Centurion Club last week, with former major winners Dustin Johnson and Phi Mickelson among the 48-man field, while seven more tournaments are scheduled over the coming months.
Pumpkin Ridge GC in Portland from June 30-July 2 and Trump National Golf Club Bedminster from July 29-31 are the next two host venues, with further US-based tournaments taking place in Boston from September 2-4 and Chicago from September 16-18.
Stonehill Golf Club in Bangkok is the venue from October 7-9 and Royal Greens Golf Club - the site of the Saudi International in recent years - hosts the following week, with the season-ending Team Championship then hosted at Trump National Doral Miami from October 27-30.
Get the best prices and book a round at one of 1,700 courses across the UK & Ireland
