At least he’s honest.
On Tuesday, 35th-ranked golfer Harold Varner III released a statement announcing his move from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf. Admitting that the money side of it was simply too good to pass up:
Friends, I’ve always been real, so let me tell it to you straight. I have joined the LIV Golf Tour. … The opportunity to join LIV Golf is simply too good of a financial breakthrough for me to pass by. … This money is going to ensure that my kid and future Varners will have a solid base to start on — and a life I could have only dreamt about growing up.
Varner is the latest big name in golf to jump to the Saudi-backed tour, something that the PGA has tried to address in recent months.
That said, the Jordan Brand athlete has made his decision, and a controversial one at that. But Varner maintains that he’s still the same kid from Gastonia, North Carolina that’s helped forge pathways for kids interested in golf.
“Your opinion of me may have changed because of this announcement. No lie, that’ll be a tough thing to deal with. But I haven’t changed,” Varner signed-off. “I’m still me. I promise you that.”