Tag: Pundit

Twitter or X, isn’t the best place for arguments these days, unless you’re a golf fan.

The social media platform staged an almighty tussle between two pundits over the weekend’s Farmers Insurance Open.

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The event that runs from January 22 to 25 has seen a big name pull out in the shape of world No.5 Collin Morikawa.

Responding to the news, podcaster Jay Aaron (@ProGolfCritic) suggested that Morikawa and other top PGA Tour players pulling out of events wasn’t a coincidence in the current climate.

The PGA reportedly agreed the framework of a deal with LIV Golf in June to bring the breakaway Saudi league into the mainstream and end the current civil war.

Players have been defecting to the mega money league since its inception and have been banned from major events as a response.

A £1billion merger deal could put an end to that, but with no updates since June, Aaron thinks something fishy is afoot given some recent high-profile withdrawals.

“I had heard unsubstantiated rumors that some top players were going to hold out of tournaments until this deal got done,” he wrote.

“So now Scottie [Scheffler], Rory [McIlroy], Xander [Schauffele] & Morikawa have either not played/WD’d [withdrawn] from 2025 PGAT events.

“They are currently 1-2-3-4 in OWGR [Official World Golf Rankings]. Purely coincidental I’m sure.”

That theory didn’t go down particularly well with retired PGA Tour golfer-turned-pundit Colt Knost.

Knost replied: “Xander and Collin both played in Maui. Rory is in the Middle East. Scottie had hand surgery.

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“Why are you trying to stir things up? Maybe you’re the corrupt one!”

The back and forth continued with Knost referring to an incorrect call from Aaron that Tony Finau was joining LIV, which he defended saying he never claimed it was 100 per cent happening.

But then Knost shut down the topic in brutal fashion, saying: “The tweet I responded to of yours was filled with lies.

“I know it might ruin your Sunday but it’s okay to admit when you’re wrong.”

Aaron then turned to a lack of transparency over why players are dropping out of events, to which Knost had a similarly comprehensive reaction.

“So if a player had a family emergency, a funeral, a wedding to attend etc…..they should have to tell you??? Why? It’s none of your business,” he wrote.

Things continued to go on between the two as they replied to each other on X regarding the topic – bringing up Jon Rahm.

Rahm was one of the first major stars to leave the PGA Tour for LIV.

“I’ve also said Rahm was going when you were in complete denial,” Aaron stated.

To which Knost replied: “Never in denial. At first, I didn’t think Rahm would go.

“But when someone gets offered astronomical money to go i don’t blame them. I wait to hear from the players.

“Not some people that just guess and hope they are right.”

Aaron replied again, writing: “Then why aren’t Xander & Collin not playing when they committed to playing previously and played in Maui (as you mentioned) and played TGL more recently?

“End the speculation! Tell the TOUR to be transparent and not lie. But you can’t bc it’s not possible for them to do that.”

And Knost once again clapped back to say that players don’t have to let everyone know what they’re doing publicly.

“They don’t have to give you a reason why they are or aren’t playing. If they want to release that then they can!

“Their lives aren’t an open book. Not sure why you would think that it should be,” he finished.