The historical error of the European circle is evident

The US Open reaches a historic field, but on which no Grand Slam has ever been played. Players speak highly of the North Course at Los Angeles Country Club, although there is no doubt that it will respond to the hardness that is the hallmark of the US Open, with hard, very fast greens, and where tee shots with the driver will be key. Few holes offer the chance to be rewarded with a long and accurate tee shot, such as the 6, a 300-yard par 4, where there will be those who choose to risk being on the green with a shot.

I am confident that Jon Rahm can be in contention for the title. I’d also point out Viktor Hovland, who is fine, and Brooks Koepka, who with the PGA title recovered from that idyll with the majors that saw him win four majors in two-and-a-half years between 2017 and 2019. Another player LIV Golf with options is Cameron Smith, a very reliable competitor. And I would add someone who knows the field very well and stands out with regularity, like Max Home.

It will be the first major tournament since the peace between the circuits that have been at loggerheads, following two major tensions, with Rahm’s success at the Masters as a success for both the PGA Tour and Koepka’s win at the PGA Championship as a victory. symbolic of LIV. In reality, the deal was inevitable because the schism was in no one’s interest: neither the professionals, nor the traditional circles, unable, in the long run, to compete with Saudi money. Not even the PGA Tour, which had to tap into its reserves to collect prize money and keep its top players. But a big historical mistake was made a few years ago by the rectors of the European circuit. If they had partnered with the Saudi capital, they would have made their calendar the best in the world. But they refused and over time their championship lost weight.

European players should now hold accountable those responsible for this strategic and historic mistake.

In this war, many players defended their position without facing others. Like Rahm, who stayed true to the PGA Tour by not insulting those who chose LIV. This was not the case of Rory McIlroy, who is very aggressive in his postulates. And finally, we are talking about professionals, who play for money, of course, as it has always been.