The news of the merger/agreement/deal between the PGA Tour, the DP World Tour and the Saudi Public Investment Fund (the owners of the LIV Tour) was met with the exact kind of over-the-top shrieking and gnashing of teeth from the same crowd who has hated the idea of LIV golf from the start.
“BLOOD MONEY!”
“EVIL DICTATOR NOW RUNS ELITE GOLF!”
“JAY MONAHAN SOLD HIS SOUL!”
“LOYAL PGA GOLFERS GOT SCREWED!”
There was some version of that kind of phony outrage in just about every commentary or editorial I’ve seen on the subject, and it is all ridiculous, not too mention hypocritical. I’ve said all along this was likely to be the outcome because it just made too much sense for everyone involved. There was no real, valid reason for the PGA Tour not to work with the LIV Tour to make sure that all of the world’s best golfers could still compete in events.
There are many who are ripping Monahan as a coward or saying he is a sellout, but I would say that he should be hailed as a visionary, someone who saved golf from the disastrous path it was headed down. Monahan showed more courage in making this deal than he did in two years of virtue signaling about the evil Saudis and their renegade tour.
The blood money stuff is ridiculous, as nobody seems to have a problem with all of the different leagues and apparel companies — especially the NBA and all of its ties to China. The Golf Channel itself is owned by NBC, which made a gazillion dollars televising the Olympics in China last year. Our government does business with Saudi Arabia — our president was over there last year begging for more oil — and the PGA Tour itself has an event in Saudi Arabia every single year.
All of the shrieking about the alliance with Saudi Arabia is silly, and it is selective outrage. If human rights violations by certain countries are the reason why leagues should be banned or cancelled, well, I am afraid I have some bad news, as every league at the very least uses equipment from or sells apparel from these countries.
Oh no, you say, this is different because the Saudi’s actually own this league, as opposed to China, which the NBA has merely invested $5 billion in!
Give me a break. People who claim they are outraged by the Saudi involvement in the LIV Tour basically should stop watching sports because I could point out a bunch of other leagues that deal in the grey areas when it comes to involvement with countries that are run by bad people and/or have a long list of human rights violations.
That doesn’t for one second excuse human rights violations or let other countries off the hook for the way they mistreat people. I am not making excuses for the Saudi prince or saying he is being unfairly painted by people criticizing him. I am simply saying that if you are gonna be outraged by these kinds of things, don’t be selective with it, don’t be a hypocrite and don’t act like the LIV Tour is the only one funded by — other people’s term, not mine — blood money.
Now, as for the notion that the PGA Tour golfers that said no to LIV money and stayed are now getting screwed because they could have taken the money and run? That’s hogwash, too. Everyone had choices to make and they made them in their best interest. Further, those who stayed said it wasn’t about the money, it was about competing on the best tour against the best players and continuing a tradition and all that other pie in the sky stuff we were told.
Nobody stopped them from taking LIV Tour money when it was offered but themselves, so they have only themselves to blame. And the larger point is this — thanks to the LIV Tour’s existence, there is more money, more large purses, more big events and more endorsement opportunities for PGA players than ever before.
Those that stayed have benefitted from all of those things, so the idea they didn’t get anything out of being loyal is false. They made their choice and it was their choice alone, and I’m fairly certain all of them can still pay their bills. In life, though, you make choices based on what you think is best based on the information you have available at a time, and sometimes things change but that doesn’t mean you got a raw deal.
As for golf itself, how could anyone who is a fan of golf not be happy that this stupid “elite golf league” war is over? It was an embarrassment for all parties involved while it was going on. It was not necessary, it was immature and the only people who lost in it all were golf fans who want to see the best players compete. The PGA Tour could have made this happen a long time ago had they just came to the same kind of agreement they have with players who compete on multiple other tours, but it was pettiness that wouldn’t allow it.
I have no idea what the actual agreement will look like, what this new world of golf will be, or what the deal for all involved will be because the details haven’t been released. But I would imagine when it is all said and done, it will involve a pathway for LIV players to play on the PGA Tour and probably some new formula for rankings that make sense.
It would probably mean we won’t have to worry about Ryder Cup teams that don’t have the best players because of this dumb divide between the two tours. It will probably mean the best players will all have access to the same rankings and points in order to qualify for majors. It will probably mean golf fans will be able to watch elite-level golf that isn’t splintered and fractured anymore.
That’s a win for all involved .,and it comes at least a year later than it should have.
Paul Zeise: pzeise@post-gazette.com or Twitter: @paulzeise
First Published: June 9, 2023, 9:30 a.m.
