In a candid and fiery pre-match interview at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at St. Andrews, defending champion Matt Fitzpatrick didn’t hold back when discussing the current state of professional golf, expressing strong displeasure with both the PGA Tour and the recent collaboration between the PGA and DP World Tour.
In a scathing criticism of the agreement, Fitzpatrick remarked, “I think the Tour shouldn’t have made an agreement with the PGA Tour.” He further explained his frustration at discovering PGA Tour players being invited to the DP World Tour’s flagship event, the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, a move he found deeply unfair.
“I was furious at Wentworth when I found out that a handful of PGA Tour players were coming to play the tournament, and that at that point, not all the players who had retained their DP World Tour card last year would be in the field. That’s our flagship event,” Fitzpatrick vented. His frustration was compounded by the lack of reciprocal invitations for European Tour players to The Players Championship—often dubbed the “fifth major”—in the United States. “Why did we invite them to Wentworth? There were no invitations for European Tour players to The Players Championship.”
Fitzpatrick’s criticism comes at a time of significant change in professional golf, with the rise of LIV Golf disrupting the traditional structures of the sport. While the LIV Golf league introduced the concept of team-based competition, Fitzpatrick, a football fan, appreciated the team aspect but remained skeptical about the exclusivity of LIV’s “closed circle.” He also questioned the future direction of the PGA Tour, noting that its moves towards limited-field events could lead to further alienation of many players.
“The PGA Tour is also changing, taking that direction. What format do they intend to continue? A field of 70 players? I have no idea,” he said, expressing uncertainty about the future of professional golf and the potential narrowing of opportunities for many players.
The 29-year-old, who is known for his meticulous approach to the game and his strategic mind, even floated the idea of merging tours and expanding the concept of promotion and relegation, an idea inspired by football. “Basically, there are three major championships. They can be merged, then expanding the mechanism of relegation and promotion, an area in which there is room to work. If they were all together, I think there would be a great benefit,” he suggested, hinting at a vision of a more unified global golf structure.
Fitzpatrick’s words are likely to ruffle feathers in both the PGA and DP World Tour camps, as well as stir conversation among his peers. His comments come as the golfing world navigates one of its most tumultuous eras, marked by power struggles between traditional tours and disruptive newcomers like LIV Golf.
