Theory That Certain Players Turned Down LIV Golf Offers Because They're Simply From The State Of Texas Is Outrageous
Everything is bigger in Texas - including the loyalty and general decency of every Texan - which should make the fact that very few professional golfers from the Lonestar State accepted offers to join LIV Golf.
That's a legitimate message that multiple professional golfers and media members from Texas have recently shared, that Texans are just too good of people to accept millions of dollars from a Saudi-backed league. Basically, the theory is that Texans have morals, golfers from other states simply do not.
Golfers From Texas Out On LIV Golf
Jimmy Walker, who is from Oklahoma but resides in Boerne, Texas, and Ryan Palmer from Colleyville, Texas spewed the latest Texas state taglines at the dedication of the Texas Golf Hall of Fame.
“I think it’s just the culture of Texas, its friends and family and values,” Walker told Sports Illustrated. “It might sound corny as hell, but I think Texas players value Texas pride, and that’s one of the reasons they have stayed loyal.”
“I think most Texas golfers are a down-to-earth, tight-knit group. Every Texan is true to his core, and that is a big part of it,” Palmer said when asked about Texans not leaving for LIV Golf.
Jimmy Walker of Texas has stayed loyal to the PGA Tour amid players leaving for LIV Golf. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
PGA Tour Players From Texas vs. Everyone Else
It's unclear if Palmer or Walker have ever been offered contracts with LIV Golf. Patrick Reed is the most high-profile Texan to take the guaranteed payday from LIV and leave the PGA Tour.
Golf Channel's Brandel Chamblee, a graduate of the University of Texas, went into even more detail about how great golfers in Texas are.
"As a Texan, I’m well aware of my bias, but bias withstanding, not enough can be said about the Texans who turned down the crazy millions to join LIV," Chamblee posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
"Grateful to PGA Tour stars Scottie Scheffler and Jordan Spieth who helped ensure the history of the PGA Tour by turning down tens of millions, but especially to Will Zalatoris, who as an injured but rising potential superstar told the Saudis (MBS) to stuff their 130 million dollar offer because he wanted to be, not only on the right side of history, to create an inspiring legacy. In addition to Zallatoris, the Coody brothers, Pierceson and Parker, turned down multimillion dollar and potentially life changing offers because they believed legacy has more currency than hypocrisy."
It's more than fair to say that the likes of Scheffler, Spieth, Zalatoris, and others turning down hundreds of millions of dollars proves how loyal they are as people and that they value the chance at making history over adding commas in their bank accounts.
But to say their decision-making and thought process about not joining LIV has anything to do with the fact that they live in Texas is strange, at the very least. It just so happens that some of the biggest stars in the sport happen to live in Texas and some of them decided to say no to LIV offers, and that's all there is to it.
It's interesting that Chamblee and other Texans didn't mention the fact that the Saudis own America's largest oil refinery located in Port Arthur, Texas.
Follow Mark Harris on X @ItIsMarkHarris. You can also reach him via email at mark.harris@outkick.com