Hideki Matsuyama, Cameron Young to forgo LIV Golf, stay with PGA Tour, per reports
Now that the PGA Tour’s 2022 Tour Championship is completed, with Rory McIlroy hoisting the trophy for a record third time, news is circulating about players deciding to join the LIV Golf Series while others are planning to stay with the Tour.
Hideki Matsuyama, who was long rumored to be heading to the breakaway series that’s backed by Saudi Arabia and led by Greg Norman, appears to be staying, according to the Associated Press’ Doug Ferguson.
Cameron Young, one of the favorites to win the Tour’s Rookie of the Year award, confirmed on Sunday to The Athletic that he was staying with the PGA Tour.
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Ferguson reported Matsuyama, who won twice this season at the Zozo Championship and Sony Open in Hawaii, confirmed his commitment to the PGA Tour following his final round at the Tour Championship. Matsuyama finished T-11 and made $925,000.
The 2021 Masters champion, Matsuyama has won eight times during his Tour career and made more than $40 million in 217 events.
Young said the PGA Tour’s proposed changes were one of the reasons he wanted to stay.
"I mean, frankly, I have decided to stay," Young said. "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."
The Times UK reported Young was bound for LIV Golf three weeks ago, but a source close to the former star at Wake Forest said the 25-year-old wasn’t likely to join the Greg Norman-led and Saudi Arabia-backed series.
"Obviously it’s the elephant in the room for everyone. Frankly, throughout the whole process with (LIV Golf), I was very interested. I think they have a bunch of good ideas and are doing some cool stuff," explained Young. "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. That’s a tough place for me because, you know, I’m very young and there are a lot of factors."
In his first full season on Tour, Young had five runner-up finishes at the Sanderson Farms Championship, Genesis Invitational, Wells Fargo Championship, British Open and Rocket Mortgage Classic, as well as five more top-10 finishes.