Jon Rahm, Ryder Cup controversy and LIV vs PGA Tour - Golf's wild 2023 in review
It has been yet another 12 months of drama in the world of golf, and with 2023 coming to an end, there are no signs of this stopping heading into the New Year.
Professional golf found itself dawning on a new chapter following the emergence of LIV in June 2022, in what proved to be a turbulent six months for the game. 2023 has since carried that mantle on after yet another year of unpredictably at the top of the sport.
From a shock agreement between the PGA Tour and their Saudi rivals, to LIV luring in one of the Tour's prized assets - with a drama-filled Ryder Cup in the middle for good measure - here is a look back at pro golf in 2023.
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January
The year began in similar to fashion as to how the last one ended - with division. Towards the end of 2022, PGA Tour icon Tiger Woods called on Greg Norman to step aside as LIV CEO in order for the dispute between the two tours to come to an end.
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Norman however was having none of it. Quick to hit back at 15-time major winner Woods, the Australian labelled his rival nothing more than a 'mouthpiece' for the PGA Tour, asserting his position at the top of the breakaway league. Meanwhile, there was also needle between two rival players in Patrick Reed and Rory McIlroy, after the former threw a tee at the latter ahead of this year's Dubai Desert Classic.
McIlroy is a Tour loyalist, whilst Reed's allegiances lie with LIV. It was reported that Reed threw the tee at the Northern Irishman after he refused to acknowledge him on the range. The tee in question? A LIV Golf one of course. January did bring some good news for LIV Golf too, as the breakaway league secured their first ever TV deal, with U.S.-based The CW Network.
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Rory McIlroy clashed with Patrick Reed (Getty Images)February
Fresh off their new TV deal LIV hosted the maiden event of their first full season, and did so at a former PGA Tour stomping ground. The breakaway league teamed up with the iconic Mayakoba to host its first event of 2023, which was won Charles Howell III by four shots. Elsewhere, February saw the release of the eagerly anticipated Netflix documentary, 'Full Swing'.
The Series captured one of the most dramatic year's in PGA Tour history, looking back at the drama that unfolded in 2022. Among the players included were Dustin Johnson, Ian Poulter and Brooks Koepka, who all opted to defect to LIV partway through the season, and filming.
March
Following the emergence of their new-found rival, the PGA Tour were forced to play their hand in a bid to thwart off the LIV threat. The Tour made their move by announcing a whole host of changes, including the introduction of 'designated events' for 2024. The plan would see a number of tournaments receive 'elevated' status, with an increased prize pot on offer to a reduce field of 70 to 80 players.
The selected events would also operate throughout the week without a cut, and would see the Tour's top-ranking players compete. There was some initial backlash from a number of PGA Tour players further down the food chain (we will come back to that later), but those at the top pledged their support behind the idea. One of those was world No. 2 McIlroy, who had also played a role in formulating the plan as part of the circuit's Policy Board.
April
April is every golf fan's favourite month, with the world's best descending on Augusta National for the Masters, but once again this was not without controversy. Jon Rahm was then man to get his hands on the green jacket, as he landed their a major title of his career. His closest competitors came from the LIV setup, with Koepka giving up the chance to win his first Masters crown after holding the 54-hole lead.
Jon Rahm won the Masters in April (Kyodo)Joining him in joint-second was a man who knows exactly what it takes to win the green jacket in Phil Mickelson, as the LIV star rolled back the years in a final round to remember in Georgia. The event also marked the return of Mickelson's iconic rival Tiger Woods, who competed his first event since the Open Championship nine months earlier. Sadly for Woods it was a comeback to forget though, as his torrid fitness issues continued after being forced to withdraw in round three.
May
Having just missed out on his fifth major title a month earlier, Koepka bounced back to win the PGA Championship in May. It proved to be a monumental moment for Koepka and the Saudi-backed league, as the American became LIV's first ever major champion.
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It was not all good news for the LIV setup though. A number of their biggest European names were forced to give up their Ryder Cup playing rights, with the likes of Poulter, Lee Westwood and Sergio Garcia all resigning from the DP World Tour after being handed a fine and suspension for joining the Saudi-backed league.
June
Just weeks later however it appeared the world of pro golf was finally beginning to heal. On June 6 the PGA Tour and Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia announced they had reached a framework agreement that would would see the Tour work in unison with LIV Golf and the DP World Tour.
The world of golf was left in a state of shock, the players included. Even one man who had played a pivotal role in the Tour's defence against the Saudis in McIlroy was kept out of the loop when it came to the u-turn, and he later admitted he felt like a 'sacrificial lamb' at the hands of the PGA Tour.
It has been quite the year for Rory McIlroy (AFP via Getty Images)The Northern Irishman was looking to quickly divert his focus away from the off-course dealings and towards his on-course efforts, especially with the U.S. Open around the corner. But even that could not help end his nine-year wait for a major title, as the Northern Irishman missed out on victory by a single shot to eventual champion Wyndham Clark.
July
Amid the shock agreement McIlroy was opting to stay out of the chatter away from the course, but could not resist a cheeky dig at July's Scottish Open, where he came away as champion. In the days leading up to his victory at The Renaissance Club, McIlroy brutally claimed he would rather retire than compete on the LIV circuit ahead of a proposed merger.
A month on from the announcement, both sides of the deal were called in front of the U.S. Senate. In the PGA Tour's corner it was Jimmy Dunne and and Ron Price, who fielded questions from the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations. From the PIF side however, the likes of Yasir Al-Rumayyan and LIV CEO Greg Norman failed to attend.
On the course, Royal Liverpool played host to the final major of the year, and it was Brian Harman who came away from the Wirral with the Open Championship crown after seeing off the likes of Jason Day and Rahm in testing links conditions.
Brian Harman was crowned Open champion (Getty Images)August
With the wheels on the framework agreement beginning to turn, the Tour opted to turn to their most prized possession in Woods. Amid concerns from the PGA Tour playing membership at the leadership's secret handling of the deal, Woods was appointed to the circuit's Policy Board amid a number of changes that would see players have a greater say in any decision made. Back to the action on the course and the PGA Tour saw its season come to an end with Viktor Hovland being crowned the FedEx Cup champion thanks to back-to-back victories at the BMW Championship and Tour Championship.
September
Attention then quickly turned to the Ryder Cup in September, and the first question on everybody's lips was who would be heading to Marco Simone to compete? With LIV's European stalwarts ruling themselves out of contention, all eyes turned to Team USA and captain Zach Johnson.
As part of his six captain's picks, Johnson included just one LIV golfer in PGA champion Koepka. Koepka and his teammates were blown away on day one of the event though, as the hosts flew out the traps to take a seven-point lead following the opening two sessions.
It was day two of the event where the drama really kicked in though, and the man at the centre of it was Patrick Cantlay. According to Sky Sports, Cantlay had led a split within the U.S. camp, with the fallout said to be centring over pay. The report alleged that Cantlay was unhappy with not being paid to compete, and in protest opted to compete without a cap.
The crowd at Marco Simone quickly got wind of the story, and goaded the American throughout the day by waving their headwear in his direction. Cantlay did eventually come out on a top, as he and partner Clark defeated McIlroy and Matt Fitzpatrick in the final match of the day to rescue an all-important point for the visitors heading into the Sunday singles. Unsurprisingly though, the drama was far from over.
In response to the reception that greeted Cantlay throughout the day, his teammates joined in by ironically waving their hats in the air in celebration. They were soon joined by his caddie Joe LaCava, but the caddie soon went on to overstep the mark, after directing his celebrations towards the face of McIlroy who still had a putt for the half. After missing his attempt, the European talisman shared some choice words with LaCava, before being involved in a heated exchange with Justin Thomas' caddie Jim 'Bones' Mackay in the Marco Simone car park.
Rory McIlroy clashed with Joe LaCava (Zac Goodwin/PA Wire)October
A day later a pumped up McIlroy returned to the course to lead his continent to an emphatic 16.5-11.5 victory to cap off (pun intended) a Ryder Cup to remember in Rome. With the dust beginning to settle on the Ryder Cup it was then back to the LIV saga, as they faced yet another set back in their hunt for world ranking points.
The Official World Golf Rankings rejected their latest bid for recognition, ensuring their wait for points- and their players' fall down the list - continued. Elsewhere, McIlroy and Woods' soon-to-be-launched innovative league 'TGL' was starting to take shape as they completed their roster ahead of its debut season in 2024.
November
Soon after though this roster was missing one big name, as Masters champion Rahm announced he had quit the setup. Just weeks later things got even worse for McIlroy and Woods, as the league were forced to postpone their January 2024 start date by a year due to damage to the circuit's venue in Palm Beach. With time ticking on the PGA Tour's December 31 framework deadline, doubt over a proposed merger began to grow with reports suggesting the American-based circuit were looking at investment partners away from their so-called Saudi allies.
December
If there were any doubts of PIF's involvement at the top of golfing pyramid moving forward, this was quickly squashed after LIV announced arguably their biggest coup yet. The Saudi-backed league confirmed the signing of Masters champion Rahm, and in record-breaking fashion too.
The Spaniard signed a reported £450 million deal with the breakaway league, the third biggest sports contract in history. The year than came to an end with an all-important framework agreement, and as reports suggested the Tour had come to a deal - just now with the Saudis. The circuit revealed an agreement had been reached with American-based investor Strategic Sports Group (SSG) who were set to pump £2.4 billion ($3bn) into PGA Tour Enterprises. There was some hope for the proposed merger though, with the PGA Tour also confirming they still remained in negotiation with the Saudi fund.
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