Golf pro Martin Kaymer has defended his participation in the controversial LIV Golf Invitational Series.
Golf pro Martin Kaymer has defended his participation in the controversial LIV Golf Invitational Series.
“Of course you can understand the criticism. But if you look behind the curtain on the LIV tour, you have to look behind the curtain on everything else. I want to do my sport,” said the 37-year-old in an interview with Sports Illustrated.
The new series is criticized because of the millions invested from Saudi Arabia. The background is that the country, which has been criticized for human rights violations, is trying to improve its reputation with lucrative sporting events. Kaymer emphasized that he does not identify with Saudi Arabia: “We also played the European Tour in Saudi Arabia. We were even asked if we wanted to compete there. Now it’s a mistake. That doesn’t make any sense to me.”
The former world number one and major winner, who hasn’t won a tournament in eight years, will be teeing off at the BMW International Open in Eichenried near Munich from Thursday. The tournament, endowed with two million euros, is part of the DP World Tour (formerly European Tour). Kaymer has voluntarily returned his eligibility to play on the North American PGA Tour. The PGA has banned LIV Tour participants from their events.
Source: Stern
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