- Another Australian golfer is tipped to join the LIV tour
- Likes from Min Woo Lee or Cameron Davis may overflow
- Spaniard Jon Rahm was paid $500 million to jump ship
- Gulf's ongoing civil war shows no signs of ending
Australian golf identity Andrew Kirby has revealed a homegrown star is set to join the LIV circuit.
We go to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, the former captain of the Royal Melbourne Golf Club tweeted on Friday: “I'm hearing from a highly placed source (no, I won't make them public) that an Australian is in the final stages of negotiations with LIV.”
It set tongues wagging online, with many golf fans desperate to know who defected to join the Saudi-funded golf tour.
Some of the names suggested online included young gun Min Woo Lee, Sydney-raised Cameron Davis and Bendigo-born Lucas Herbert.
If Herbert were to join the likes of Cameron Smith, Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia in competing in the Saudi-funded golf competition, it would raise eyebrows given his comments in July last year.
Australian golf great Greg Norman is the CEO of LIV Golf – and he'd like to see some more homegrown talent in the Saudi-funded competition
Queenslander Cameron Smith signed a $100 million deal to join the LIV circuit in August 2022
2023 Masters champion Jon Rahm (pictured left) has officially jumped ship from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf – and was reportedly paid $500 million in return
Herbert stated in an interview, “from the outside, it (LIV) looks like there's a lot of work to do… it doesn't look like a smooth, well-oiled tour like the PGA Tour.”
Australian veterans Adam Scott and Jason Day have long been supporters of the PGA Tour, so they can be left out.
Earlier this week, Spanish star Jon Rahm left the PGA circuit after reportedly being paid $500 million.
The Masters champion admitted that 'the money is very nice' and that he plays the sport to 'provide for his family'.
Rahm also suggested that donning the coveted Green Jacket in April – which earned him a lifetime invitation to Augusta – proved to be crucial.
The 29-year-old's defection has further increased pressure on PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, who came under fire after the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf announced a shock merger in June.
Rahm declined to delve too deeply into golf politics, but he did confirm that some players have lost confidence in Monahan.
“There are people who have lost confidence and if he remains commissioner it will take a long time for many of these players to trust him,” the Spaniard added.
“I believe there are people who still believe he is the best option, and I know there are people who don't believe that. “So I don't know what's going to happen in the future.”