Els didn't avoid the subject, saying that the ongoing conflict between LIV and the PGA Tour would have a "significant" impact on the Presidents Cup, particularly for the international competitors.
Els predicted that the team led by captain Trevor Immelman, who would compete in a few months at Quail Hollow, would lose six players if Cam Smith left.
Top-100 players Abraham Ancer, Louis Oosthuizen, Carlos Ortiz, Shaun Norris, Scott Vincent, and Sodom Kaewkanjana are possible international squad members. The latter have defected to LIV and can no longer play on the PGA Tour. Smith, who recently won the Open at St. Andrews, hasn't formally joined the competing league, but he's been said to be thinking about it and didn't do much to end those whispers last Sunday.
When Els served as a captain in 2019 and his team lost by just two points at Royal Melbourne, he stated that the PGA Tour would have to give up some control of the International team's selection process "if they want to have any sort of field from the international point of view."
Els expressed the hope that in the future, "the Internationals can select their side based on their merit."
When it came to LIV, Els had a lot to say. The conflict between the two tours was compared to his unpleasant "tug of war." As competitions for LIV are held during the "dead season," when the NFL and college football dominate television from the end of August through the end of the year, he also mentioned that he has always believed that LIV and the significant tours should collaborate, or perhaps partner.
Els compares the current state of professional cricket, where the classic test format has been forced to coexist with 20-20 leagues, most notably the Indian Premier League, which use an abbreviated schedule, to the current state of professional golf. (In Els' illustration, LIV is the 20-20 league.)
Els commented, "You could play that for three months." "Everyone on earth will be watching. Seriously, everyone will watch it. Can you picture the folks trying to buy clubs with owners who are also team principals? It will resemble Formula One in style. Major, wealthy individuals will attend and enjoy the teams and the sport; in turn, the men and the rest of the globe will also like this format because it is unique.
Els continued, "But after three months of that, I think that's enough. Then return to play some legitimate golf.
Els stated that if LIV sticks with its current format, which entails 54 holes, 48-player fields, no cuts, and shotgun starts, he doesn't see LIV challenging established tours that employ 72 spots to pick their winners over the long term. Els asserts that unless LIV alters its concept, it won't be possible to obtain the world-ranking points for which it recently applied.
When competing against the rest of the world, which uses a 72-hole stroke play format, cutting 36 holes determines your ranking and how much money you'll make. LIV Golf doesn't operate that way. Then why are you being compared to the rest of the world? It doesn't make sense, you know. It's a different kind of golf format. We practice that on the Champions Tour, which is why we don't receive ranking points. We are not considered to be a major tour. The Asian, Australian, and South African Tours play 72 holes, much like the other tours.
Nothing changes simply because you're playing for $20 million per week.
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