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Defending champion Harold Varner III answers questions ahead of the PIF Saudi International. Photos: Asian Tour

Saudi International: Harold Varner says golf is ‘going down the toilet’ because of LIV and PGA ‘bickering’

  • Defending champion bemoans ‘bitterness and pettiness of both LIV and the PGA Tour’ that has led to the civil war dividing the game
  • ‘I don’t care what tour it is, it’s golf,’ says American, who admits he enjoys ‘the money and the time’ that comes with Saudi-backed LIV Golf
Asian Tour

For a man defending a title for only the second time in his career, Harold Varner appears as relaxed as it might be possible to be on the eve of the Asian Tour’s season-opening PIF Saudi International.

Despite being “a little rusty”, the 32-year-old is desperate to get going this week after an off-season far longer than he has been used to in the past.

Still, this week’s tournament will be the first four-day event the LIV golfer has played since the Open Championship last July and there has not been much since.

“I just want to compete,” Varner said. “I just want get in the fire. It’s the best feeling in the world.”

Varner begins the defence of his title on Thursday in a group alongside Jazz Janewattananond, and Bubba Watson, whom he beat by one stroke last year with an amazing 92 foot putt for eagle on the last.

Harold Varner celebrates on the 18th green after winning the 2022 PIF Saudi International. Photo: Asian Tour.

“I am not playing that often, not tournament golf,” Varner said. “I guess last year I played two or three [PGA] tournaments before [joining LIV]. I missed both of those cuts, so I guess I wasn’t playing great according to the scores. But I’m fairly cocky. I think I’m playing well.”

In an era of athletes largely regurgitating PR talking points, the American has always been one of the few refreshingly honest ones, and joining the LIV ranks seems to have only loosened the reins.

While others wax lyrical about “growing the game” or helping to “change the landscape” of golf, Varner lends a voice to the greater motivation many believe exists for being part of the new Saudi-backed league.

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He also isn’t shy about discussing the impact on personal relationships with other players on tour.

“I think it’s actually made things more clear,” Varner said. “It’s something I wanted to do. I really enjoy it, I enjoy the money that comes with it. I enjoy the time.

“But what ended up happening is people you thought were your friends, colleagues – you know who’s legit when you do something they don’t want you to do and you want to do it and it doesn’t harm them, and they still reach out to you, they still talk to you.”

Varner is not beyond criticism of his new bosses either, bemoaning “the bitterness and the pettiness of both LIV and the PGA Tour” that has led to the civil war presently dividing the game.

“At the end of the day, it’s golf,” he said. “I don’t care what tour it is, it’s golf. The arguing and the bickering and stuff like that, that’s just not great for the game. People enjoy investing in golf because it’s clean, respect and a gentleman’s game, and that’s going right down the toilet right now.”

Harold Varner III with the winner’s trophy after the 2022 PIF Saudi International.

There is self-awareness there too, with Varner describing himself as “a bigger a******” now he has time to think about what he wants to do, and the financial wherewithal to carry that out.

While before the 40 weeks a year of tournament golf left him without much time to focus on other projects, now he can consider his options.

“I have some unbelievable people around me that keep me grounded because when I get set on something, I want to do it,” he said.

“Before, you would have to play a tournament, so you didn’t have time to do it. Now that you have time – I guess what successful and retired people do, they think about how they want to go about their life.”

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