Gary Player, ambassador for Golf Saudi, blasts PGA Tour players who joined LIV Golf

Gary Player is an ambassador for Golf Saudi, but that didn't stop the Hall of Famer from blasting players who have left the PGA Tour to join the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Series.

Player, who lives on Jupiter Island, told the BBC Thursday that LIV is a "tour for people who don't have confidence in their future." He added LIV Golfers don't have the confidence they can be winners.

"I wouldn't take a billion dollars for my nine majors on both tours," the 86-year-old Player said. "The only man to win the Grand Slam on both tours. I worked hard. I had desire. I traveled the world. It was an education. I met wonderful people.

"How can you ever be a champion playing a tour with 54 holes and no cut? What sort of tour is that? 54 holes, no cut, a team event nobody understands."

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Player won nine majors on the PGA Tour and nine on the Tour Champions, including three Masters. The South African recorded 160 professional wins.

Golf Saudi, formed in 2018, is attempting to further develop and integrate the sport into the Saudi culture and make it accessible to people across the country. The organization announced Player as its "international ambassador" with a release that read: "Mr. Player will work with Golf Saudi to help implement a shared vision for golf and its future development within the Kingdom."

Player wore a Golf Saudi shirt at Masters in April while with Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson to hit the ceremonial opening tee shot at Augusta National.

Gary Player: LIV 'never going to compare' to PGA Tour

LIV, financed by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, is back on center stage this week with its fourth event of its inaugural season, starting Friday at The International outside of Boston. The series, run by Palm Beach Gardens' Greg Norman, has lured 27 golfers currently in the top 100 of the World Golf Rankings, including Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, Jupiter's Brooks Koepka, Jupiter's Dustin Johnson and its most recent big-name signing, world No. 2 Cam Smith.

"It's never going to compare to the regular tour," Player said. "No chance. They've declared war on the PGA Tour."

Player said he was "absolutely shocked" to hear Smith, who won the Players Championship and The Open in 2022,  joined LIV.

"Here's a young man I really thought was going to be a superstar," he said. "Now what sort of future does he have? Will he be allowed to play in majors in the future? Will he be able to realize this great dream of being a champion? I don't know."

Player perhaps is the least likely member of golf's royalty to criticize LIV considering his ties with Golf Saudi. He joins Nicklaus in defending the PGA Tour. Nicklaus' comments, though, have not been as biting as Player's.

Nicklaus told the Fire Pit Collective that he was offered "something in excess of $100 million" to be the face of LIV, but told the Saudis, "I have to stay with the PGA Tour. I helped start the PGA Tour." He has mildly criticized players considering defecting from the PGA Tour. Norman responded by calling Nicklaus a "hypocrite."

"Unfortunately, he and I just don’t see eye to eye in what’s going on. I’ll basically leave it at that,” Nicklaus said about Norman when asked at The Open in July.

Tom D'Angelo is a journalist at the Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at tdangelo@pbpost.com.