PGA Tour star will never join LIV in | Golf News

PGA Tour sensation Niklas Norgaard has made it crystal clear that he will never join LIV Golf regardless of the engaging financial affords, indicating his drive to play in main championships outweighs the lure of money.

He earned his PGA Tour card following a spectacular 2024 run on the DP World Tour, highlighted by clinching the Betfred Masters and touchdown an eleventh place end in the Race To Dubai standings. One participant who did join LIV Golf is Talor Gooch, who’s earned $62 million on the Saudi-funded circuit but has failed to qualify for next month’s U.S. Open.

Making a splash in his first PGA Tour season, Norgaard secured his proper to compete stateside in 2025 and did not disappoint, swiftly snagging his first top-five placement at the Myrtle Beach Classic just two weeks back. The Danish professional then stepped onto his first main stage at the PGA Championship, gained by Scottie Scheffler.

While he missed the cut at Quail Hollow, the expertise has only fueled Norgaard’s urge for food for more, bolstering his ambition to nab a spot on Europe’s Ryder Cup group.

For Norgaard, the driving pressure is not financial gain; his true allegiance lies with the standard {golfing} paths, pointedly shunning the wealthy but controversial breakaway league, LIV Golf.

Despite the Saudi-backed league offering substantial prize money and a smaller competitor pool, which will increase the chances of profitable, its lack of recognition by the Official World Golf Ranking is a vital downside. This has real-world penalties for gamers’ alternatives to qualify for main tournaments, as highlighted by Sergio Garcia’s absence from the U.S. Open for the first time in over 25 years.

“That’s why I would never choose to go to LIV, no matter the money,” Norgaard informed Bunkered. “Because what has kept me going all the time has just been I want to play majors. I want to play Ryder Cup.

“I need to play against the best on the best programs. It took me six years just to get to the DP World Tour and, once you are there, you actually have to love golf to keep going.”

While Norgaard remains committed to his passion for the sport over financial incentives, not every player shares his viewpoint. For example, Tom McKibbin faced a similar crossroads when he earned one of 10 PGA Tour cards via the DP World Tour in November but opted to forgo it in favor of joining Jon Rahm’s Legion XIII team.

World No. 99 Norgaard, who has made the cut in five out of nine PGA Tour events this year, emphasizes that his pursuit of success is not motivated by monetary rewards.

“Everybody is enjoying for one thing completely different, and, you understand, motivated by one thing completely different,” he said. “And for some it is money. For some it is just golf, and some it is a third factor. But no, I’m not shocked, because I get it. It’s such a massive quantity of money you will get, and you’ll be able to secure the remaining of your life.

“I just know when I wake up in the morning, I don’t think I would be happy there.”