Riaan
CNN
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Inkundla egcwele izinkanyezi izoqhudelana nemiklomelo eqopha umlando ka- $25 wezigidi ku-The Players Championship ngoLwesine.
Inkambu ihlanganisa izinkanyezi ezintathu esezivele zibambe indawo yokuqala yomhlaba ngo-2023 – Rory McIlroyScottie Scheffler kanye Jon Rahmokwamanje ohamba phambili ezinhlwini – kodwa kuzoba nokungabikhona okukodwa ku-TPC Sawgrass emcimbini ohamba phambili we-PGA Tour.
Emlandweni wobuqhawe weminyaka engu-49, akekho umdlali oseke wavikela isicoco ngempumelelo kanye nompetha obusayo Cameron Smith enqatshelwe ukuncintisana ngenxa yokuzibandakanya kwakhe ku-LIV Golf Series, lokho kugijima kuqinisekisiwe ukuthi kuzothatha ingxenye yekhulu leminyaka.
“Yebo, akulungile,” uKhomishana we-PGA Tour u-Jay Monahan etshela izintatheli ngoLwesibili ngesikhathi ebuzwa ngokungabibikho kwe-Australian No.5.
“Ubengumpetha ofanele … kodwa ekugcineni leso yisinqumo asenza, futhi sinenkundla engakholakali lapha kuleli sonto kanye nomlando nesiko omunye walaba abangu-144 azofuna ukukuthola.”
USmith ukhuluma ngenqwaba yamagama amakhulu angeke ahlangane eFlorida ngenxa yokuzibandakanya kwawo ohambweni oluhlubukayo olusekelwa yiSaudi.
Abahlanu kwabayishumi abahamba phambili ngonyaka odlule kulo mcimbi – uSmith, Anirban Lahiri, Paul Casey, Harold Varner III noDustin Johnson – bajoyine iLIV Golf.
Ukuqinisekisa ukuthi inkundla egcwele abadlali begalofu abahamba phambili kube yisisekelo sesimangalo se-The Players Championship sokuba “iqhawe lesihlanu” legalofu, nokho abadlali abayisithupha kwabakleliswe phambili emhlabeni abangama-50 – okuhlanganisa nabadlali ababili baseChile uJoaquin Niemann noMito Pereira – bazobe bengekho. izizathu ezifanayo zikaSmith kanye no-co.
Futhi njengabashampeni abakhulu eminyakeni emihlanu edlule, abadlali be-LIV Golf u-Brooks Koepka, u-Bryson Dechambeau, u-Patrick Reed, no-Phil Mickelson bonke bebengakufanelekela ukungenela.
Lokhu kuholele ekutheni uhide lwemibuzo ebibuzwa abadlali ngaphambi komqhudelwano igxile ekutheni ngubani ongadlali, kubhekwe ukuthi ngubani obengadlali.
“Kungaba ngcono ukube umpetha ovikelayo ubelapha kuleli sonto? Impela, ”kusho uMcIlroy, ongumpetha ngo-2019, etshela izintatheli.
“Kodwa wenza isinqumo abona sengathi singcono kakhulu kuye, futhi wayazi ukuthi isinqumo sizoba nemiphumela, futhi omunye wemiphumela njengamanje ukungakwazi ukudlala ku-PGA Tour.”
Impendulo kaRahm ekukhishweni kukaSmith ifana nekaMcIlroy, nowaseSpain wengeza ngokuthi “izimo ezihlukene” zanciphisa inkolelo yakhe yokuthi “ompetha abavikelayo kufanele bahlale bekhona.”
Abanye abadlali bakhethe ukuya kwelinye iligi yegalofu bazi ukuthi ngeke bavunyelwe ukudlala lapha,” kusho uRahm.
“Futhi yebo, lesi umcimbi omkhulu. Kuseduze kakhulu nomcimbi wekhwalithi ephezulu, kodwa kusewumcimbi we-PGA Tour.”
USmith uzobe ebukele, kodwa lapho okusazobonakala khona. Engxoxweni eyabiwe ngo Twitter yi-Golf.com, owase-Australia – ohlala eFlorida – uthe uzobe elalele nge-TV ngaphambi kokungeza ukuthi “angathanda ukuphuma” ku-TPC Sawgrass emcimbini.
“Angazi ukuthi izokwamukelwa kanjani,” kusho uSmith.
“Kodwa ngisho nokuphuma lapho futhi ubuke, ukuhambahamba esixukwini, kungase kube yinto ehlekisayo.”
Ngokungangabazeki itimu ehamba phambili yezingqungquthela zabezindaba zangaphambi komqhudelwano nokho, ethintekayo isimemezelo sangesonto eledlule yekhalenda ye-PGA Tour ebuyekeziwe ka-2024.
Ngaphansi kweshejuli entsha, “imicimbi emisiwe” eyisishiyagalombili izonikeza izikhwama zemiklomelo ekhushuliwe, izinkundla ezincane, futhi akukho ukusikeka – zonke izici ze-LIV Golf Series.
Osayizi benkundla abakhawulelwe – phakathi kwabadlali abangama-70 nabangu-78 – abahlanganiswe ngemibandela yokufaneleka eklanyelwe ukuklomelisa “abadlali abaphambili” ku-PGA Tour, kubangele ukukhathazeka ngokuthi uhlelo olulungisiwe lungaholela “esitolo esivaliwe,” kushiye abadlali begalofu abasezingeni eliphansi bengaphandle. emakhazeni.
Umhlangano wabadlali ubanjwe ngoLwesibili ekuseni ukudingida izinguquko, kusho uMcIlroy. Indoda yaseNyakatho yase-Ireland, ejoyine u-Scheffler ekusekeleni uhlelo olusha ngesonto eledlule, ukholelwa ukuthi lezo zingxoxo zazinhle.
“Lapho kwethulwa ulwazi olwengeziwe nedatha kubo, abantu okungenzeka bebenokungabaza ngakho ngicabanga ukuthi beza, noma okungenani babe nolwazi oluthe xaxa ngemibono yabo,” kusho uMcIlroy.
“Kube kuhle kubona ukuthi babone lokho futhi babone ukuthi ukucabanga kubangelwa yini ngempela esizama ukuyenza lapha. Ngicabanga ukuthi izinga lokushisa ekamelweni belingekho nakancane lishisa njengoba bengilindele ukuthi lizoba njalo uma ulwazi selubekiwe.”
URahm, othe akazange awuhambele umhlangano wabadlali njengoba echitha isikhathi nezingane zakhe, wengeze ngokuthi nakuba eziqonda ezinye zezikhalo, ukholelwa ukuthi izinguquko “zingcono kakhulu kuwo wonke umuntu” ngokuhamba kwesikhathi.
UMcIlroy ubelokhu egxeka kakhulu i-LIV Golf Series kusukela yafika ngonyaka odlule.
Kodwa-ke, ngenxa yezinguquko ze-PGA Tour, owine izikhathi ezine ezinkulu ukholelwa ukuthi uchungechunge lweziqephu lugcine luzuzisa igalofu.
“Ngeke ngihlale lapha ngiqambe amanga – ngicabanga ukuthi ukuvela kwe-LIV noma ukuvela komuntu oqhudelana naye ku-PGA Tour kuzuzise wonke umuntu odlala igalofu elisezingeni eliphezulu,” kusho uMcIlroy.
“Lapho usuyiligi yegalofu enkulu kunazo zonke emakethe enkulu kunazo zonke emhlabeni eminyakeni engu-60 edlule, asikho isikhuthazo esikhulu sokusungula izinto ezintsha.
“Lokhu kudale inqwaba yezindlela ezintsha ku-PGA Tour, futhi obekukuhle impela, ngingasho ukuthi, uhlelo lwakudala luyalungiswa ukuze kuzanywe ukubukisa lapho sikhona emhlabeni ngekhulu lama-21 ngesimo sabezindaba.
“I-PGA TOUR ayigcini nje ngokuqhudelana ne-LIV Golf noma eminye imidlalo. Incintisana ne-Instagram ne-TikTok nakho konke okunye okuzama ukususa ama-eyeballs ku-PGA TOUR njengomkhiqizo. ”
Nakulokhu, uRahm wavumelana noMcIlroy, wengeza ngokuthi izinguquko ezinjalo “azisoze” zenzeke ngaphandle kwe-LIV Golf.
“Ngakho-ke ngokwezinga, njengoba ngike ngasho phambilini, kufanele sibonge ukuthi lolu songo lwenze i-PGA TOUR ifune ukushintsha izinto,” kusho uRahm.
“Ngifisa sengathi bekungafiki ekutheni i-PGA TOUR igxekwe ngomunye umuntu ukuthi enze lezo zinguquko futhi enze izinto zibe ngcono kubadlali, kodwa ngicabanga ukuthi yikho ebesikudinga. Kungenxa ye-LIV Golf, ngaphandle kwalokho besingeke sikubone lokhu.”
Umdlalo uqala ngokuthi kuqhume ama-trios okuqala ngo-6:50am ET ngoLwesine, njengoba inkundla ekhazimulayo ihlanganisa inqwaba yamaqembu anamagama amakhulu.
7:34am – Patrick Cantlay, Tony Finau, Tom Kim
7:45am – Collin Morikawa, Rickie Fowler, Adam Scott
7:56am – Scottie Scheffler, Rory McIlroy, Jon Rahm
12:34pm – Matt Fitzpatrick, Viktor Hovland, Shane Lowry
12:45pm – Kurt Kitayama, Will Zalatoris, Xander Schauffele
12:56pm – Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Max Homa
Isiteshi Segalofu sizosakaza imizuliswano emibili yokuqala yomcimbi kusukela ngo-12pm kuye ku-6pm ET ngoLwesine nangoLwesihlanu, ngaphambi kokuthi kushintshele ku-NBC – kusukela ngo-1pm kuye ku-6pm ET – emizuliswaneni emibili yokugcina yangezimpelaviki.
Ababukeli base-United Kingdom nase-Ireland bangabuka nge-Sky Sports kusukela ngo-11:30am ngoLwesine.
Ulwazi olwengeziwe mayelana nendlela yokubuka lungatholakala kuwebhusayithi ye-PGA Tour lapha.
