11x NBA All-Star Charles Barkley sounds off on current state of golf during PGA Tour-LIV Golf Showdown event

During the Showdown event in Las Vegas, former NBA star Charles Barkley did not hold back in criticizing the current state of golf.

11x NBA All-Star Charles Barkley sounds off on current state of golf during PGA Tour-LIV Golf Showdown event

Charles Barkley (Image via Fox News)

On Tuesday, the PGA Tour stars and LIV Golfers went against each other in a Showdown event in Las Vegas. As Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy teamed up to take on the LIV Golf duo of Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau, 11-time NBA All-Star Charles Barkley sounded off on the current state of the sport.

The Showdown event comes at a time when the PGA Tour and the Public Investment Fund (PIF), the body that backs LIV Golf, continue to work to finalize the merger deal. In the 18 months since the deal was first announced, the parties have yet to reach a final agreement.

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Barkley is a huge fan of golf. On several occasions, he has been seen golfing and has spoken on golf topics. On Tuesday, he was part of the Showdown coverage from Las Vegas.

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During the event, the basketball great opened up about his thoughts on the current state of golf. The 61-year-old expressed that there is some stuff going on behind the scenes which is not “right” and “fair” to LIV Golfers.

I just don’t think it’s fair. I thought the LIV guys have gotten a bad rep. Hey, they’re all free agents. There’s nothing wrong with taking money. But they need to merge. There’s some stuff going on behind the scenes that’s not right, not fair to the LIV guys.

Charles Barkley said

The former Philadelphia 76ers stars also pointed out the recent reduction in size field by the PGA Tour. The board recently reduced the full exempt membership of players from 125 to 100.

Before this, the top 125 players in the FedEx Cup rankings were allowed to keep their full exemption. From 2026, this number will come down to 100.

Also, to the top, between 100 and 125 guys on tour, they’re going to get screwed too. They’re going to lower the fields to 100. That’s only going to help the best players and the richest guys. So, don’t get mad at other guys for taking money… I can say what I want to because I ain’t worried about getting fired.

Charles Barkley further added

In October, Barkley had once again slammed the parties involved in the merger deal for this long delay. In an angry rant, he called both the tours “stupid” and urged them to play against each other more.

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Rory McIlroy hilariously hits back at Charles Barkley during the Showdown event

During the Showdown event in Las Vegas, Charles Barkley tried to poke fun at Rory McIlroy. The four-time major hit back at him with a hilarious response.

Charles Barkley and Rory McIlroy
Charles Barkley and Rory McIlroy (Image via Larry Brown Sports/Imago)

Barkley, who was working as a commentator for the event, tried to troll McIlroy and asked him how much he eats during a regular round of golf. The North Irish golfer did not hold back and claimed, “Not as much as you Chuck“.

The NBA legend would laugh off the answer from McIlroy and claimed that he was on a diet. McIlroy later explained that he tries to take around 1,000 to 1,200 calories worth food to keep up his energy during golf tournaments.

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Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy

During the event, McIlroy seemed in fine form. He and Scottie Scheffler started strongly and went on to register a dominating victory. This saw him earn $5,000,000 in cryptocurrency. The golfer will now turn his attention to 2025 as his co-owned league with Tiger Woods, TGL, kicks off in January.