Among all this discussion between the PGA-LIV merger, and the reunification of players for both leagues, there is finally someone who switched from LIV Golf. That player is Laurie Canter and he will be the first LIV Golfer to defect to PGA. What does this mean for the sport, and will this be the start of a new trend for LIV Golf players?
Laurie Canter Career At LIV Golf
Canter started his LIV Golf career in 2022 when the league debuted. At the time he was no. 86 in the world rankings, and from there joined the Cleeks team. That first year, he finished 32nd out of 68 players in the LIV Golf season. The next year Canter became a reserve player and would make bank earning a little over $2 million. However, he would struggle to make the cut in the following two years at LIV. In 2024 he played his final LIV event at Las Vegas, after which he was finally pushed out. Now Canter is playing in PGA events and is beginning to realize some success for himself.
Moving On From LIV Golf
When Canter had to leave LIV, he found himself back in the DP World Tour where he played before signing onto LIV. There, he found himself not only playing stronger games but also winning events. During the year he spent in the DP World Tour, he reached number 42 in the world rankings. He eventually found that his time away from LIV was enough to get him into a PGA event, just one year after the player’s last LIV event.
In an interview with The Times, Canter reminisces on his time with LIV as an opportunity he took.
“I can hand on heart say I wouldn’t harbour a grudge against someone who’d taken the opportunity to go and play on LIV, so if anyone feels hostile towards me [at TPC Sawgrass], I won’t be particularly worried,” says Canter.
“One of the great things about golf is there’s always been a really good level of respect and camaraderie between the players. That was gone for two years and it was an embarrassing time to be a pro because of the things being said, not just by the players but some of the people in and around the organisations in charge of the sport, but I think that period is over now. The hostility is waning. I’m just excited and really proud to have the opportunity to play in this tournament.”
The bit about hostility waning is certainly true. Many players in both leagues are eager to start playing with each other again after the leagues have been butting heads since 2022. He was clear to say that the money LIV made available to him was just something he could not refuse.
“LIV is a different beast. I was playing for ten to 12 times more money every week against a smaller field. As a financial opportunity, it was unrivalled,” says Canter. “Just looking at the bottom line, it’s an opportunity that I had to take. What I hadn’t foreseen was the experiential element of being around some of those players.”
What this Means For LIV and the PGA
In short, what it means is that if the merger falls through, there will still be a path for players to switch between the two. Given all the discussion about players who are rumored to switch back to PGA, this is good news. Canter is currently competing in the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass, and is being referred to as a new “trivia fact”. In the future he may be seen as more of a trailblazer by his colleagues. Setting a path amid relieving tensions between the two leagues.
Main Photo Credit: © Peter van den Berg-Imagn Images