No one knows what’s in store for LIV Golf after it struck a deal with the PGA Tour earlier this month to merge their business operations, but if you ask one major winner, he doesn’t think it will last much longer.
Ahead of hosting the British Masters at The Belfry in England, Nick Faldo spoke about LIV Golf’s future, and didn’t hold back his belief that the Saudi-backed league won’t survive.
“Nobody’s really interested,” Faldo said. “They’re not going to get the sponsorship that they want.”
The six-time major winner also criticized the way LIV Golf is structured by calling it a “team event,” comparing it to the Ryder Cup.
“You see your mates on the putting green and say, ‘play well.’ Then you see them in the scorers’ tent and say, ‘What did you shoot?’ That’s it. A team is out there helping, shoulder to shoulder. That’s a true team.”
“You have the ultimate team event, the Ryder Cup, with the passion and the atmosphere,” he said. “They’re not playing with the same passion and atmosphere as the Ryder Cup. “
There is a lot of confusion among players about what the deal will mean for the future of golf, but players like Phil Mickelson are optimistic about where the game is headed. Faldo also told Sky Sports he thought LIV Golf would “fade away simply because there wasn’t a lot of interest.”
Despite the criticism of LIV Golf, Faldo believes the deal will be good for the PGA Tour and expand golf into a global game.
“I think when the dust settles, whether it takes six months, a year, whatever, my goodness, pro golf is in an overall better position financially than we were back in the day,” Faldo said.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nick Faldo says LIV Golf won’t last: ‘Nobody’s really interested’