Australian Open champ Matt Jones slams suggestions Greg Norman’s LIV Golf is just an exhibition

The Aussie Open champion who defected to LIV Golf and is taking the PGA Tour to court has slammed ‘keyboard warriors’ who claim the rebel tournament is nothing but a series of ‘exhibition’ tournaments.

Jones is a two-time Australian Open champion and one of the highest profile Aussies who left the PGA Tour to join Greg Norman’s Saudi Arabia-backed rebel league, along with Adam Scott and The Open champion Cameron Smith.

The 42-year-old Jones has competed in all seven LIV Golf tournaments and following his final round at Royal Greens and Country Club on Sunday bemoaned the judgment of ‘keyboard warriors’.

‘I would say don’t speak until you’ve come out here and experienced it,’ Jones told AAP.

‘There’s plenty of keyboard warriors out there who sit behind a computer and judge everything people do for a living without getting out and experiencing it.

‘If there’s people judging this from what they see on YouTube and LIV TV, it would be better to come out here and experience it.’

Jones added he’s seen fellow players working harder than they did on the PGA Tour.

‘I’ve seen guys grinding harder here than they do on the PGA Tour because we have the time. You can spend more time in the gym, getting fit, because our bodies aren’t getting pounded week after week.

And, financially, there’s so much to gain from playing well out here. There are livelihoods at stake. There are guys on one-year contracts playing for next year.

‘No-one’s coming out for a hit and a giggle. It’s serious and guys want to win every week,’ Jones said after pocketing A$203,000 for finishing 45th in the 48-man field.

Jones is one of three remaining LIV golfers proceeding with an antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour which is set to go to trial in January 2024.

Jones, Bryson DeChambeau and Peter Uihlein are the last three LIV golf players proceeding with the lawsuit from the original 11 after Phil Mickelson and three other golfers withdrew in late September.

The players are claiming that the PGA Tour harmed their careers by suspending them from PGA events and also presented barriers preventing LIV Golf from starting with a competitive league.

‘I am focused on moving forward and extremely happy being a part of LIV, while also grateful for my time on the Tour,’ Mickelson said in a statement.

‘I am pleased that the players on Tour are finally being heard, respected, and valued and are benefitting from the changes recently implemented. With LIV’s involvement in these issues, the players’ rights will be protected, and I no longer feel it is necessary for me to be part of the proceedings.’

Most recently a US District Court judge ruled that LIV Golf including Jones must disclose a log of any communications between themselves and outside counsel about the Saudi-backed league after they originally sought to be excused from logging this information.

Lawyers representing LIV Golf have argued that logging this information would be ‘costly, time consuming and unduly burdensome’.

Jones’ comments come as a LIV rebel golfer became the first to claim a PGA-aligned event at the weekend, with Spain’s Adrian Otaegui claiming the DP World Tour’s Andalucia Masters.

The DP World Tour and the PGA Tour formed an alliance in June this year to combat the threat of LIV Golf, allowing DP World Tour members direct and formal access to PGA Tour events.

‘I’m very proud,’ Otaegui said. ‘I feel so happy to have my first win in Spain, in front of those crowds, on my favorite golf course in Spain. Just unbelievable.’

Sweden’s Joakim Lagergren (68) was second, three shots ahead of third-place Min Woo Lee of Australia (70).