Sam Torrance: I don’t see LIV Golf succeeding the way it’s going

Sam Torrance’s position among Scottish golfing royalty was confirmed as he held court in complete silence in front of more than 600 guests at the PGA in Scotland annual lunch in Glasgow but, like many, the Ryder Cup legend is concerned about the current noise in his beloved game.

Ryder Cup legend Sam Torrance was the guest of honour at th PGA in Scotland Lunch in the Glashow Hilton Hotel. Picture: Kenny Smith Photography

“We all love golf and we hate to see it in turmoil,” said the 69-year-old, breaking his silence on the arrival on the scene of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf that has led to court cases impending with both the DP World Tour and PGA Tour.

While he didn’t refer to it directly, the winning European team in the 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles, where Torrance was one of Paul McGinley’s assistant captain, is a perfect example of how the sport has been ripped apart,

“There is so much animosity between great friends,” added Torrance of six players - Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia, Henrik Stenson, Ian Poulter, Martin Kaymer and Graeme McDowell - all being part of a winning team in Perthshire but now effectively being frozen out of anything to do with the European team after joining the breakaway circuit.

In recent weeks, both Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods have called for Greg Norman, LIV Golf’s CEO and commissioner, to step down to allow talks to take place between the traditional tours and LIV Golf bosses.

“Well, he has had a bone to pick with the PGA Tour, said Torrance, referring to Norman, a former world No 1, having long had a vision for a world tour but being left with a chip on his shoulder when the World Golf Championships were launched in 1999. “The Saudis can’t complain with what he’s achieved and who am I to say someone else should be leading LIV. But we need to find a way. If I knew how to sort it, you would’ve heard from me before.”

On the back of Valderrama in Spain and Sentosa in Singapore being announced as new ‘global’ venues, the 2023 LIV Golf, it has also now been announced that The Gallery Golf Club in Tuscon, Cedar Ridge Country Club in Tulsa and The Greenbrier in West Virginia will also be staging LIV Golf events next season.

However, Torrance warned: “I don’t see it (LIV GOLF) succeeding the way it’s going. It’s only getting worse. Greg has been out to get the tour for a long time.

“If you put, say Fred Couples or Ernie Els, in his position, they may have said to the tours, ‘look I have all this money here, lets sort this out’. It’s hard to find a place for LIV. The US Tour is not going to let it go, that won’t get fixed.”

Something that certainly doesn’t need fixed is Torrance’s relationship with the Scottish golfing public, as evidenced by the fact that he had an audience in the Glasgow Hilton in the palm of his hand at an event that celebrates the work of PGA professionals.

Referring to Bob, a legendary coach who not only worked with his son for 50 years but also the likes of Padraig Harrington, Paul McGinley and Stephen Gallacherm, an attendee at the lunch, , the 69-year-old said: “My dad had a great time as a club pro. I saw that side of life in golf first and I probably would have become a club pro myself if I wasn’t good enough to play. It is certainly a good life.”