Webb's Games wish to 'shake up' golf

By: Murray Wenzel Time published 2022-10-14 at 03:32 AM (GMT +11:00)

A fierce critic of the "fracturing" LIV Golf Series, Karrie Webb has other ideas to shake up the sport after earning a Sport Australia Hall of Fame berth.

KARRIE WEBB of Australia hits an approach shot during the ISPS Handa Australian Women's Open at Kooyonga Golf Club in Adelaide, Australia.
KARRIE WEBB of Australia hits an approach shot during the ISPS Handa Australian Women's Open at Kooyonga Golf Club in Adelaide, Australia. Picture: Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images

Karrie Webb wants to see amateurs compete in teams at golf's Commonwealth Games debut in Victoria and has doubled down on her criticism of LIV Golf despite admitting her sport needs a shake-up.

The Queensland great was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame on Thursday alongside eight others, Webb and softballer Tanya Harding the two inductees present in Brisbane to accept the honour.

A 41-time winner on the LPGA Tour, Webb has been a fierce critic of the Saudi-backed breakaway LIV Golf Series run by fellow Australian Greg Norman.

Presently 48-men compete in 54-hole, no-cut events on that lucrative tour that is at loggerheads with the PGA Tour and DP World Tour, Norman recently expressing his intent to eventually introduce a women's equivalent.

"I'm all for shaking things up in golf," Webb said.

"We need to have some good ideas for the next 100 years of our sport about how we're going to keep the people playing the game and get more people to the game.

"But I'm not for this fracture there is now.

"The messaging is that it's growing the game, but I really don't think it is.

"It's not the right message for golf and I hope it sorts itself out quickly and we get back to sending out more positive messages in the sport."

Ironically joining Norman on the Hall of Fame honour board, Webb rates the current Australian women's crop led by Minjee Lee and Hannah Green "as healthy as it's ever been".

"We compete overseas for most of the year, (it's important the current players) embrace how good Australian sport is on the world stage and that we're a part of that and we do have all of Australia pulling for us," Webb said of the significance of her induction.

"Hopefully we can add a few more female golfers to the list in years to come."

She said golf's debut at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in regional Victoria presented a chance to rope in new fans.

"It'd be great to see our leading amateurs in the Commonwealth countries being the leaders of our sport for that 10 days," she said.

"And I'd like to see a team component -- mixed teams would be great too.

"People that aren't golf fans or don't play might not know there is a team component that's played quite regularly in amateur golf."