There are few people better qualified to talk about the state of golf and its evolution than Ernie Els.

With the Legions Tradition taking place in Birmingham this week, Els has won four major championships and has been playing in big events for more than 30 years, and when it comes to where the game has been, where it is and where it's going, he's an influential figure in the sport.

The sport of golf is obviously in a state of flux and has been for some time now. With the never-ending battle between the PGA Tour, LIV Tour and DP World Tour, and a possible merger that no one knows the situation for, it’s fair to say golf is in an unprecedented situation.

LIV Golf, a 54-hole team golf tournament funded by Saudi Arabia, has reportedly attracted some of golf's biggest stars with nine-figure contracts, including Jon Rahm, Cameron Smith and Brooks Koepka.

But Els, who was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2011, said he was never offered a spot by LIV and would not have accepted it even if he had been offered one.

RELATED: Ernie Els talks career, majors, LIV and more at Birmingham Legion's Tradition

Not now, and not at any point in his career.

“No, I haven't received any offers,” Els said. Yellow Hammer News “But I wouldn't have said yes. Look, I know some Saudi Arabian players and they love golf dearly. But the current format at LIV is not proper golf. It just wouldn't have been for me, no matter what stage I was at in my career.”

Last year, when reports of a possible PGA-LIV merger broke and it appeared PGA Tour loyalists would not get financial relief for the prize money they turned down from LIV, Els was outspoken about his thoughts to PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan.

“If this had happened in my prime, there's no way he'd be alive. No way,” Els said of Monahan last July. Sports Illustrated's Bob Harig“And the board has to change. You guys do this. I'm sorry, but it's not right. Come talk to us, tell us what you're going to do, tell us your plans for negotiations. Don't just rebel as a board member and think you're going to come back with a deal and we're all going to say yes. You're affecting people's lives. You're affecting the professional game. This is just awful.”

Nearly a year after the merger appeared to be on hold, Ells said ahead of the community meeting that his mind hasn't changed.

“Obviously, I hope they can resolve their differences because this mess is not good for our sport,” he said. “We'll just have to wait and see what happens. But the fact is, in my opinion, the LIV golf format doesn't work the way it is right now. Maybe there's a place for team golf in the global schedule. Maybe we can get a few teams together and play a two-month fun season, so to speak. But the rest of the year, let's play real golf.”

Last year, Els finished in a tie for second place at Greystone Golf and Country Club. This year's competition begins with the Drummond Co. Celebrity Pro-Am on Wednesday, May 8, with the tournament starting the following day.

Michael Browner is a senior sports analyst and contributor to Yellow Hammer News. You can follow him on Twitter. translation: