Amongst all this dialogue between the PGA-LIV merger, and the reunification of gamers for each leagues, there’s lastly somebody who switched from LIV Golf. That participant is Laurie Canter and he would be the first LIV Golfer to defect to PGA. What does this imply for the game, and can this be the beginning of a brand new development for LIV Golf gamers?
Laurie Canter Profession At LIV Golf
Canter began his LIV Golf profession in 2022 when the league debuted. On the time he was no. 86 on the planet rankings, and from there joined the Cleeks group. That first 12 months, he completed thirty second out of 68 gamers within the LIV Golf season. The following 12 months Canter grew to become a reserve participant and would make financial institution incomes a little bit over $2 million. Nonetheless, he would battle to make the reduce within the following two years at LIV. In 2024 he performed his closing LIV occasion at Las Vegas, after which he was lastly pushed out. Now Canter is enjoying in PGA occasions and is starting to comprehend some success for himself.
Shifting On From LIV Golf
When Canter needed to go away LIV, he discovered himself again within the DP World Tour the place he performed earlier than signing onto LIV. There, he discovered himself not solely enjoying stronger video games but additionally profitable occasions. Through the 12 months he spent within the DP World Tour, he reached quantity 42 on the planet rankings. He ultimately discovered that his time away from LIV was sufficient to get him right into a PGA occasion, only one 12 months after the participant’s final LIV occasion.
In an interview with The Occasions, Canter reminisces on his time with LIV as a possibility he took.
“I can hand on coronary heart say I wouldn’t harbour a grudge in opposition to somebody who’d taken the chance to go and play on LIV, so if anybody feels hostile in direction of me [at TPC Sawgrass], I received’t be notably frightened,” says Canter.
“One of many nice issues about golf is there’s all the time been a extremely good stage of respect and camaraderie between the gamers. That was gone for 2 years and it was an embarrassing time to be a professional due to the issues being mentioned, not simply by the gamers however a number of the folks in and across the organisations accountable for the game, however I feel that interval is over now. The hostility is waning. I’m simply excited and actually proud to have the chance to play on this match.”
The bit about hostility waning is actually true. Many gamers in each leagues are keen to start out enjoying with one another once more after the leagues have been butting heads since 2022. He was clear to say that the cash LIV made out there to him was simply one thing he couldn’t refuse.
“LIV is a special beast. I used to be enjoying for ten to 12 instances extra money each week in opposition to a smaller subject. As a monetary alternative, it was unrivalled,” says Canter. “Simply wanting on the backside line, it’s a possibility that I needed to take. What I hadn’t foreseen was the experiential factor of being round a few of these gamers.”
What this Means For LIV and the PGA
Briefly, what it means is that if the merger falls by, there’ll nonetheless be a path for gamers to change between the 2. Given all of the dialogue about gamers who’re rumored to change again to PGA, that is excellent news. Canter is at the moment competing within the Gamers Championship at TPC Sawgrass, and is being known as a brand new “trivia reality”. Sooner or later he could also be seen as extra of a trailblazer by his colleagues. Setting a path amid relieving tensions between the 2 leagues.
Fundamental Photograph Credit score: © Peter van den Berg-Imagn Photographs
