Offline
With big money from Saudi backers, Greg Norman has now successfully recruited Phil Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia, and others to participate in the 8-tournament series beginning Thursday in London. Mickelson, whose comments earlier this year appeared to acknowledge and then downplay human rights abuses (and murder) committed by the Saudi government leading to backlash in the US (discussed here: https://saintsreport.com/threads/phil-mickelson-drama.471382/#post-8752971) is reportedly being paid $200 million to participate in the tour. Reports are that Tiger Woods turned down even more money. Dustin Johnson just today announced his joining of the tour and his payment of $125 million to participate.
And these payments are outside of the $225 million award money that has been put into purses to make award to the finishers of the eight events in 2022. According to Norman, the Saudi backers have put about $2 billion toward tour tour over the next three years. The number of tour events per year is scheduled to increase to 14 by 2025.
The money being offered to these players is clearly dramatic - it's hard to blame them for accepting it to play golf, which is what they do for a living. But some argue that money is tainted - the product of a grotesque Saudi regime. Of course, Formula One and other international sports events continue to include and even occur in Saudi Arabia, so is this golf series somehow different?
And then there's the PGA response, which is basically to ban any LIV golf series player from participating on the PGA tour - though this is not based on a new decision, existing PGA rules effectively prohibit tour players from participating in most events outside the tour (with some exceptions). When Phil Mickelson announced he was joining the LIV tour, he said it was in part to challenge the PGA's authoritarianism in governing the lives of golfers who choose to play on the tour. Apparently the PGA has quite restrictive rules about tour players playing in events beyond the PGA tour and these restrictions are not new - it's just that the LIV tour is giving some of them enough incentive to go elsewhere.
For its part, the PGA has announced this year that it intends to stand by its rules. While the PGA does not conduct the majors tournaments in the United States and LIV golf players are eligible to play in US majors, they cannot play on any PGA tour event, nor can they participate in Ryder Cup, which falls under the PGA's sanctioning on the US side. So for now, Dustin Johnson (who has been the USA's best Ryder Cup player in recent events) is ineligible.
What do you make of all of this? Is the LIV tour's Saudi sponsorship and money make it a pariah league? Are the PGA's restrictions "anti-American" and wrong? Are Mickelson and Johnson (and potentially others) right to call out the PGA and demand change?
theathletic.com
And these payments are outside of the $225 million award money that has been put into purses to make award to the finishers of the eight events in 2022. According to Norman, the Saudi backers have put about $2 billion toward tour tour over the next three years. The number of tour events per year is scheduled to increase to 14 by 2025.
The money being offered to these players is clearly dramatic - it's hard to blame them for accepting it to play golf, which is what they do for a living. But some argue that money is tainted - the product of a grotesque Saudi regime. Of course, Formula One and other international sports events continue to include and even occur in Saudi Arabia, so is this golf series somehow different?
And then there's the PGA response, which is basically to ban any LIV golf series player from participating on the PGA tour - though this is not based on a new decision, existing PGA rules effectively prohibit tour players from participating in most events outside the tour (with some exceptions). When Phil Mickelson announced he was joining the LIV tour, he said it was in part to challenge the PGA's authoritarianism in governing the lives of golfers who choose to play on the tour. Apparently the PGA has quite restrictive rules about tour players playing in events beyond the PGA tour and these restrictions are not new - it's just that the LIV tour is giving some of them enough incentive to go elsewhere.
For its part, the PGA has announced this year that it intends to stand by its rules. While the PGA does not conduct the majors tournaments in the United States and LIV golf players are eligible to play in US majors, they cannot play on any PGA tour event, nor can they participate in Ryder Cup, which falls under the PGA's sanctioning on the US side. So for now, Dustin Johnson (who has been the USA's best Ryder Cup player in recent events) is ineligible.
What do you make of all of this? Is the LIV tour's Saudi sponsorship and money make it a pariah league? Are the PGA's restrictions "anti-American" and wrong? Are Mickelson and Johnson (and potentially others) right to call out the PGA and demand change?
What is LIV Golf? A primer on the controversial new circuit
Phil Mickelson headlines the field for the inaugural event in London.
theathletic.com
Last edited:
