SAD NEWS: Scotty Scheffler announces retirement from PGA Tour

If golf fans are upset that the world’s best players aren’t competing in the same competitions as this week’s Players Championship, world number one Scottie Scheffler said they should direct their anger at the party that caused the collapse of this type of sport.

“If the fans are upset, look at these guys who left,” Scheffler said Tuesday. “We had a tour, we were all together, but the other people have any more. In the end, this is where the fault comes from. “As far as our tour goes, like I said, we’re doing everything we can to create the best possible production for our fans, and that’s where we’re at.”

Scheffler will be defending his title at the 50th Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass, but he won’t be there to play, along with reigning Masters champion Jon Rahm and former major champions Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, Cameron Smith and Bryson DeChambeau, who are playing in the rival LIV Golf League.

The PGA Tour’s flagship event, known as the “fifth major,” won’t have as large a field as it once did. “If the players want to take the money, that’s their decision,” Scheffler said. “I’m not going to sit here and tell them not to take hundreds of millions of dollars. If they feel that’s what’s best for their lives, then do so. I’m not going to sit here and force them to stay on tour.