No one will be taking any 9 irons to each other at Augusta.
The LIV Golf Series' rise has split the golf world in two, and heading into the 2023 Masters, the feud between LIV and the PGA Tour doesn't seem to be heating up — in fact, just the opposite.
After LIV Golf's CEO Greg Norman said that a LIV Golf show of strength is a possibility come Sunday, golfers from both tours have kept it clean and civil ahead of their race to the green jacket this week. During the customary Masters Champions Dinner on Tuesday night, no potato salad was thrown, no elbows were nudged and no dirty looks were shared.
MORE: Why LIV Golf players are allowed to play at Masters in 2023
Overall, that's a positive thing for this year's Masters tournament and the sport in general. With no black cloud and drama surrounding the tournament, fans, organizers and the tours themselves can focus strictly on the golf.
Here's what golfers have said about LIV, its players and everything in between:
Tiger Woods
On Excel Sports Management, which represents him, having no LIV Golf clients:
I do not (have any influence on that), no. I certainly have had my opinion with Steiny (agent Mark Steinberg) and the company. That's about Excel and what they want to do. I do not have any direct influence on that. … I have my opinions, yes.
Rory McIlroy
On LIV Golf playing for keeps:
I think that only puts more pressure on themselves, if they're not just playing for themselves, but playing for this cause or whatever. That might help in some way, I don't know. But as I said before, I think this tournament is bigger than all of that.
Look, it's a narrative and it's a storyline, but the Masters and the four major championships sit above all that noise, and that's the way it should be this week.
On LIV Golf's Phil Mickelson:
I have not spoken to Phil, but it's great to see him back. He's a three-time champion here. We're not even two years removed from him doing, what I believe, is one of the greatest feats in the game of golf, winning the PGA Championship at 51 years of age or whatever it was. It's good to have him back.
MORE: Who is playing LIV Golf in 2023?
Jon Rahm
On being around the 18 LIV Golf players this week:
Nothing changes, really. I don't think they feel any different. I don't feel any different for having them. To be honest, when I saw Dustin (Johnson) first yesterday, and then Sergio (Garcia), I kind of forgot, honestly. It didn't dawn on me until I looked down and I saw Dustin wearing FootJoys. I was like, 'Oh, yeah, things are different.' I kind of forgot. I hadn't seen him since the Open Championship. But it didn't register in my mind for me, it was just Dustin. I feel like I've spent more time playing with him and against him than this new dynamic at all. I don't think it changes at all. At least, not in my mind.
Fuzzy Zoeller
On the Masters dinner and LIV golf members' presence:
We’re just 33 past champions in a room, all trying to get along. Nobody said a word about it. Phil (Mickelson) sat near the end of the table and kept to himself. He didn’t speak at all.
