Rickie Fowler vehemently disagrees with Rory McIlroy on LIV golfers’ return to PGA Tour

Rory McIlroy recently made waves, making a 180-degree shift on his opinion of LIV Golf. He went so far as to say the Tour should “let them come back.” Despite one of the leading voices of the PGA Tour changing his tune, not all players feel the same way.

Rickie Fowler is one of those golfers.

Fowler has been one of the players who has mostly strayed from the fray of LIV Golf.

After his round on Thursday, where Fowler went bogey-free on SpyGlass Hill to card a 67, the former Oklahoma State Cowboy let everyone know where he stood.

“As far as decisions to go elsewhere and just welcome back, I don’t think it’s a direct road,” FowIer said. “They made decisions — there has to be something for it. Whether how small or big, that’s not up to me. I feel like I’ve been saying it will be interesting to see how the next few months or year or two years go, and we’re still in that spot…”

Fowler doesn’t fault the players for leaving, but he also wants to play against the best players in the world.

“Ultimately, for the game of golf and having the best players playing against each other more often, that’s ultimately what we’re trying to do with signature or elevated events,” he said. “Right now, with the handful of those guys being at LIV, that only happens when it comes to the majors.”

This week’s field at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro Am is as stacked with top tier talent as maybe ever before. That is because of the Signature Event status and the $20 million purse that comes with it.

The PGA Tour recently struck a deal with Strategic Sports Group, a consortium of professional team owners, landing up to $3 billion in investments. That very well might change the Tour’s stance on a potential deal with the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF).

Jordan Spieth, a member of the PGA Tour’s policy board, made it clear he does not believe the Tour needs the PIF at this time. Will that change? Will the fracture in golf ever be repaired?

For now, that division exists and if Fowler has his way, anyone who wants to come back will have to pay penance.

Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, be sure to follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.