Golf
PGA Tour and European Ryder Cup star turns down ‘good offer’ to join LIV Golf
European Ryder Cup star Nicolai Hojgaard turned down a ‘good offer’ to join the LIV Golf League this season, according to Edoardo Molinari.
Speaking in an interview with Gazzetto dello Sport, the 2023 European Ryder Cup vice-captain revealed how Hojgaard, 23, refused the chance to join his teammates Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton on the Saudi-bankrolled league to ensure he could still guarantee his place in the majors and Ryder Cup.
It is believed Hojgaard was offered a place on Rahm’s Legion XIII team for 2024.
Hojgaard took half a point from a possible three on debut during Europe’s victory at Le Golf National last September.
That half a point came in Friday’s Fourballs match with Rahm against World No.1 Scottie Scheffler and five-time major champion Brooks Koepka.
The Dane then went on to lift the season-ending DP World Tour Championship in November 2023, which marked his third victory on the former European Tour circuit.
Hojgaard, now 37th in the world, then finished a very respectable solo second at the Farmers Insurance Open on the PGA Tour this January.
He has rather worryingly missed the last two cuts on the PGA Tour as he gears up for his first appearance at The Masters this April.
Molinari said:
“A few weeks ago, I was speaking to Nicolai Højgaard, who had a good offer but turned it down because he knows that if he continues to play well, he will still earn a lot of money but will be freer to make certain decisions and will be sure of playing the majors.”
The Italian considers Hojgaard made the right call for his career right now, and he cannot understand why anyone in their 20s or 30s would even bother taking the risk of missing out on the biggest events of the season, and the Ryder Cup every two years.
Edoardo Molinari gets the European fans going for Viktor Hovland’s tee shot down 16 at Marco Simone #RyderCup pic.twitter.com/b7aghPyEg4
— Andy Roberts (@AndyRobertsGolf) September 27, 2023
Molinari continued:
“Honestly I don’t understand players who are 20 or 30 years old and risk throwing away their careers to go to LIV Golf.
“Of course, if they come to me and offer me 300 million, it would change my life but they haven’t come.”
Although it has come to light that Rahm will be hit with a big fine by the DP World Tour following his shock move to LIV Golf this season, Molinari believes the Spaniard will choose to remain a DP World Tour member to save his Ryder Cup career.
Molinari said:
“I think that in two years we will find a way to be able to pick them anyway. The only requirement at the moment is that they are members of the European Tour. I believe someone like Rahm, whatever the cost, wants to play the Ryder Cup. So, I don’t think he will resign from the European Tour.”
Did Hojgaard make the right call to remain on the PGA Tour and DP World Tour? Share your thoughts and comments over on the GolfMagic social media channels.
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