European Ryder Cup vice captain Edoardo Molinari has criticised golfers in their 20s and 30s for joining the lucrative LIV Golf League.
Edoardo Molinari, vice captain of the European Ryder Cup team, expressed concerns that golfers between the ages of 20 and 30 may be jeopardizing their careers by joining LIV Golf.
In an interview with Gazzetto dello Sport, Molinari, who is the older brother of 2018 Open champion Francesco, made these bold statements.
The statistics expert believes that if you only consider money when making decisions, you will probably regret it.
He expressed confusion towards individuals who are between the ages of 20 and 30 and are willing to jeopardize their careers to attend LIV, as stated in the interview. “If someone were to offer me 300 million, it would definitely have a significant impact on my life. However, such offers never come my way.”
The 43-year-old person also disclosed that the breakaway competition spoke to Nicolai Hojgaard after the 2023 Ryder Cup in Italy about the possibility of him switching. Hojgaard from Denmark ultimately declined LIV.
Two of his colleagues, Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton, eventually decided to join LIV.
It is widely accepted Rahm’s LIV deal was worth approximately half a billion dollars.
Ryder Cup vice captain tears into LIV players for ‘throwing away their careers’
European Ryder Cup vice captain Edoardo Molinari believes golfers aged 20 to 30 are ‘throwing away their careers’ when they join LIV Golf.
Molinari, the elder brother to 2018 Open champion Francesco, made the explosive comments in an interview with Gazzetto dello Sport.
As far as the stats man is concerned, if you make choices based solely on money then you will likely end up regretting it.
“Honestly, I don’t understand anyone who is 20 or 30 years old and risks throwing away a career to go to LIV,” he told the publication.
“Of course if they come to me and offer me 300 million it would change my life, but they don’t come.”
The 43-year-old also revealed the breakaway tour approached Nicolai Hojgaard after the 2023 Ryder Cup in Italy over a potential switch.
Denmark’s Hojgaard ultimately rejected LIV.
It is widely accepted Rahm’s LIV deal was worth approximately half a billion dollars.
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As for Hatton, he reportedly flipped a coin before accepting his alleged fee of £50m.
A couple of weeks ago, I had a conversation with Nicolai Hojgaard about a promising opportunity,” Molinari added.
“He turned down the offer because he is confident that his strong performance will continue to bring in a substantial income.” “But he will have more freedom to make specific choices and be confident about competing in major tournaments.”
Saying no becomes challenging when faced with the temptation of a large sum of money. However, when decisions are solely driven by monetary benefits, there is a possibility of experiencing some degree of regret later on.
Molinari stated his certainty that Rahm will participate in the event at Bethpage Black in September.
There have been uncertainties raised in recent days regarding his eligibility for being chosen.
The reigning Masters champion was fined and suspended by the DP World Tour, as confirmed by the Guardian and Telegraph Sport. Molinari expressed confidence that within two years, a solution will be found to contact LIV players.
At present, the only criteria is that they must be part of the European Tour. I think Rahm is highly motivated to play in the Ryder Cup, so I don’t believe he will withdraw from the European circuit, no matter the cost.