"Two-Time PGA Tour Champion Expresses Concern Over Perceived Lack of Professionalism on Established US Golf Circuit"
Gripes from the Greens: Andrew Landry Slams PGA Tour Post-LIV Golf
Two-time PGA Tour victor, Andrew Landry, has expressed concerns over the current state of the historic US circuit and its future prospects following several changes invoked since LIV Golf's advent.
Landry, boasting wins at the 2018 Valero Texas Open and 2020 American Express, was a staple of the PGA Tour for a significant chunk of his pro career before a prolonged injury and slump saw him join the Korn Ferry Tour full-time at the beginning of this season.
Having been part of the PGA Tour's steady, significant growth preceding LIV Golf's 2022 arrival, Landry witnessed firsthand the field changes and believes the leading American circuit has fallen short in replacing the pros who departed.
Regarding the general malaise of the PGA Tour, Landry opined, "It's sloppy, it really is. The TV ratings are down because you're getting guys that, even me, I've played out there and now I'm watching and I'm like 'who's that guy? I've never heard of that guy.' I'm like, I don't know any of these people."
He lamented the absence of established stars like Jon Rahm, Dustin Johnson, Pat Perez, and Kevin Na, asserting they significantly contributed to the tour. Landry also suggested that Scottie Scheffler is not a comparable alternative.
"I think the big person that we lost that, probably the most marketable person, was Bryson DeChambeau. I feel like that was a big loss for the PGA Tour. I think Dustin [Johnson] was a big loss at the time just because he was number one in the world or close to it... but I think that with where Dustin was in his career, he's kind of later in his career at that point and Bryson was just kind of coming up."
Landry claimed not only has PGA Tour commissioner, Jay Monahan, and co. failed to adequately preserve their best assets, but the tour's new model—heavily favoring top-50 players—leads to excessive turnover, making it difficult for fans to get acquainted with emerging talent.
Landry continued, "Jay screwed up a lot of stuff. I think he did a lot of great things too like making the prize money go up and all the things that should have been done maybe a long time ago, but I think that if you truly look at the way things have gone over the last five years, truly think about it, every single year something new has changed."
"Whether it's like, hey, we're going from 125 to 70 in Signature Events - now they're thinking about going to 50. It's like, what are y'all doing? It's already hard enough for guys to make it out here. Now, it's going to be impossible for guys to stay out here."
The PGA Tour's decision to reduce the number of full cards from 125 to 100, starting at the end of this season, garnered plenty of dissent from players and analysts alike, as did the 33% reduction in available cards from the Korn Ferry Tour.
Opponents to the alterations, including Landry, argue a severe lack of opportunity for promoted golfers and fewer starts for those who did not qualify for Signature Events are key reasons why these changes should never have been approved.
Landry vented, "They're taking cards away from the guys that are coming out and then you're not getting the amount of playing time either. It's going to be hard for someone just coming out of the Korn Ferry Tour to compete with a guy that's getting in nine elevated events."
For a player who spent almost a decade on the PGA Tour and shot to fame via a stunning run at the 2016 US Open at Oakmont, the direction Landry feels his former circuit is heading has even dampened some of his ardor for the game.
Landry expressed, "[The PGA Tour] has just changed so much that it's like I don't really like the game. I don't like where the tour is going."
Landry claims he no longer sees a future of long-term players on the Tour, predicting a wave of short-term veteran golfers followed by inexperienced ones who won't have the opportunity to achieve longevity without additional victories.
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- Andrew Landry, voicing his dissatisfaction with the PGA Tour, stated, "I don't like where the tour is going," expressing concerns about the tour's future, particularly its emphasis on sports-analysis centered around the top 50 players.
- Landry, a two-time PGA Tour winner, lamented the loss of golf stars like Bryson DeChambeau and Dustin Johnson, suggesting that their absence has impacted the sports-analysis landscape of the tour, making it difficult for fans to recognize emerging talent.
