‘I Think It’s Dead, I Think The Other Side Is Gone’ - Lee Trevino Gives Take On PGA Tour-LIV Golf Divide And Calls For Players And Caddies To Speed Up

Lee Trevino was full of praise for the PGA Tour and its immediate future, as he believes that a deal with the Saudi PIF may not come at all

Lee Trevino has his say on PGA Tour and LIV Golf merger
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Golfing icon Lee Trevino is never short of an opinion, as he gave his thoughts on the current divide in golf during some glowing praise for the state of the PGA Tour - claiming the "other side is gone".

Six-time Major champion Trevino was part of the original split in golf when the PGA Tour was formed in 1968 by a band of breakaway players moving away from the PGA of America.

The modern equivalent has seen some of the biggest names in the sport join LIV Golf, with now talks continuing to bring the two sides back together - or at least the best players on each side to play together more often.

Trevino is firmly on the PGA Tour side of the argument, and believes that the LIV Golf side is "dead" as he gave his strong opinion on the matter during his appearance on SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio.

“It goes way back, I’m one of the guys that did the split the first time, I was in on that. I was at the meeting at Jack Nickalus’ club when the players wanted to go their own way," Trevino said at the Players Championship - where he voiced how healthy he thought the current state of golf was.

"Personally, golf is in a hell of a position right now. It is great. Our attendance is up, our ratings are up, the people are loving it. The players are playing faster.

"Television is doing a tremendous job. Just this year from what I've seen, instead of watching some guy leaning on his putter at the back of the green they're showing someone else hit a shot.

"Now if we can just get the caddie and the player to make a decision a little bit quicker we’ll be even better, we dont want to go to the clock, I'm sure of that."

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And part of golf's rude health, according to Trevino, is the new Strategic Sports Group investment, which others have also pointed to as a reason why the PGA Tour is not urgently seeking to wrap-up a deal with the Saudi PIF.

"Our investors, we’ve got 400 million dollars new coming in," Trevino added.

"Personally, just being the gatepost coming from Mex, I think it’s dead, I think the other side is gone."

It's not entirely clear whether Trevino was suggesting that LIV Golf may not have much of a future or whether it was the proposed deal that is "dead" but either way it's clear the 85-year-old is boyant about the PGA Tour's immediate future - with or without a deal.

Paul Higham
Contributor

Paul Higham is a sports journalist with over 20 years of experience in covering most major sporting events for both Sky Sports and BBC Sport. He is currently freelance and covers the golf majors on the BBC Sport website.  Highlights over the years include covering that epic Monday finish in the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor and watching Rory McIlroy produce one of the most dominant Major wins at the 2011 US Open at Congressional. He also writes betting previews and still feels strangely proud of backing Danny Willett when he won the Masters in 2016 - Willett also praised his putting stroke during a media event before the Open at Hoylake. Favourite interviews he's conducted have been with McIlroy, Paul McGinley, Thomas Bjorn, Rickie Fowler and the enigma that is Victor Dubuisson. A big fan of watching any golf from any tour, sadly he spends more time writing about golf than playing these days with two young children, and as a big fair weather golfer claims playing in shorts is worth at least five shots. Being from Liverpool he loves the likes of Hoylake, Birkdale and the stretch of tracks along England's Golf Coast, but would say his favourite courses played are Kingsbarns and Portrush. 

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