Court documents show one PGA Tour star secretly signed for LIV Golf, only to have a late change of heart…
Life is full of sliding doors moments. A few of those, in the money-crazed bubble of golf at least, came in the summer of 2022 shortly after the civil war that would rip the sport apart ignited.
A number of stars, some rising and others fading, had to decide whether to accept unimaginable riches and join the controversial Saudi-backed LIV Golf Invitational, as it was known then, or relent and remain with the PGA Tour. Four years on, those decisions have had lasting impacts upon careers and – to a lesser extent – legacies.
However, it is impossible to predict just how consequential a move to LIV would have been to the career trajectory of one of the very best players in the world.
At the time, LIV’s interest in Cam Young was well known.
His breakthrough year in 2022 had included top five finishes at both the PGA Championship and The Open. A PGA Tour win was surely around the corner.
But Young was seriously interested in ditching the PGA Tour for LIV, and it has been revealed in recent bankruptcy filings just how close the American was to crossing the divide.
The filings show that four years ago, Young signed an “intent-to-play” agreement with LIV which would have made him one of the biggest coups for then CEO Greg Norman before LIV’s second season.
“Frankly, I have decided to stay,” Young eventually confirmed at the 2022 Tour Championship. “So, I don’t know, it’s a really difficult situation because it’s not really anything anyone wanted to happen.
“I think it wasn’t meant to be this hostile between the two. Frankly, throughout the whole process with [LIV], I was very interested. I think they have a bunch of good ideas and are doing some cool stuff.
“With some of the changes coming [to the PGA Tour], that’s kind of what really helped me decide to kind of stay and pursue those goals that I have for myself, like making a Presidents Cup team and a Ryder Cup team and winning a major when all of that is just uncertain if you go. It’s a tough place for me because, you know, I’m very young and there are a lot of factors.”
Young does not have a major in his locker yet and his career did not in kickstart in 2023. In fact, his struggle to win a PGA Tour title remained a desperate storyline for another couple of seasons.
But Young is now a bona fide star. He is ranked fourth in the world, the current Players champion, and he has played pivotal roles on Presidents Cup and Ryder Cup teams, just like he had dreamed.
LIV has proved less fertile ground for emerging stars in recent years, owing to the league’s struggle to secure world ranking points and therefore clear pathways into the majors. When Young signed his initial agreement – dated July 24, 2022, exactly a week after his runner-up finish in the Open at St Andrews – he knew he was preparing to take a big leap of faith.
And perhaps Young was always destined to reside among the very elite regardless.
But he will also feel vindicated that he trusted his instincts with a change of heart that has indisputably altered the course of his career.