In London, England’s most famous newspaper is The Daily Telegraph — it’s online version is simply called The Telegraph — has hit the proverbial hornet’s nest with its latest report concerning Phil Mickelson and the LIV Golf Series.
Here’s the latest from a story in The Telegraph:
“Fears are growing in the game’s corridors of power that Phil Mickelson has already signed up to play in all eight events of the LIV Golf Invitational Series and that it will be the 51-year-old who will be the face of the likely court battle if and when the PGA Tour issues bans,” The Telegraph said.
The report also said that Mickelson is receiving a $30 million guarantee to play in all eight LIV events, five of which are in the United States, including the series finale at Trump National Doral.
The report also said that Mickelson would have to pay back a percentage of that money if he fails to appear in all eight of the Saudi-backed league tournaments.
The Telegraph also named other players who will reportedly join Mickelson at the first LIV event outside London at the Centurion Club starting June 9 — Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and Louis Oosthuizen — all PGA Tour members. Kevin Na’s name also came up last week and he issued a wishy-washy kind of non-denial denial.
School of thought is that the PGA Tour will be granting releases for players to go to that overseas event but the real showdown would come when the LIV Series comes to the U.S. July 1-3 at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club outside Portland.
That will be the defining moment as the PGA Tour will not/cannot grant releases for any of its members to play in that event.
For quick reference, here’s the proposed LIV Series schedule:
June 9-11: Centurion Golf Club, London, England
July 1-3: Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club, Portland, Ore.
July 29-31: Trump National Golf Club Bedminster, Bedminster, N.J.
Sept. 2-4: The International, Boston, Mass.
Sept. 16-18: Rich Harvest Farms, Chicago, Ill.
Oct. 7-9: Stonehill Golf Club, Bangkok, Thailand
Oct. 14-16: Royal Greens Golf Club, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Oct. 28-30: Trump Doral, Miami, Team Championship
The Doral location for the series finale was announced this week. It is supposed to be a four-day, four round match play knock-out event for 12 teams. The winning team slated to take away $16 million with $10 million for second $8 million for third. Those winning divided four ways (for each team member).
Those numbers don’t include money paid to bigger name players just to sign with the league. Earlier in the year, huge numbers were being thrown out — like $100-plus million for Bryson DeChambeau, for example.
But established stars like Rory McIlroy and virtually every one of the world’s top 10 players have shunned Norman and the Saudis in favor of the PGA Tour.
Last week DP World Tour (formerly European Tour) Chief Executive Keith Pelley sent a memo to his players that read in part:
“Conflicting events, regardless of how attractive they might appear to you personally, potentially compromise our efforts in these areas and could significantly hurt your tour in both the short and long term. Please continue to bear this bigger picture in mind.”
Across the pond, some journalists have pounded on Mickelson and the Saudis.
Peter FitzSimons wrote this in “The Age”:
“What is the opposite of rats deserting a stinking ship?
“The right metaphor escapes me but, whatever it is, I think you’ll find the golfer Phil Mickelson and his scurvy cohort now scrambling towards the stinking carcass of Greg Norman’s Saudi Arabian-backed golf tournament right in the middle of it. Come on you rats! Ignore the stench! Forget the torture chambers in the background, the public executions, the state-sponsored murders. Get into the rich offa!”
In the London publication, The Daily Mail, Derek Lawrenson penned this one:
“It is hard to think of anything more depressingly predictable than Phil Mickelson’s request for a release from the PGA Tour to join the inaugural Saudi cash grab at St Albans in June.
Once the organizers made it clear some weeks ago that he would be ‘welcome any time’ and that he had been forgiven for his unguarded description of the Saudis as ‘scary motherf*****s’, you knew that he would follow the money trail. He apparently can’t help himself.”
Meanwhile, Lefty’s come out of hiding. He was spotted this week practicing on the range then playing at Rancho Santa Fe.
Will Lefty jump ship and go after the big Saudi money?
It certainly wouldn’t be surprising at this point.
15 Comments
doug@bkassociates.net
Who cares? The PGA Tour should not be a monopoly. It deals with competition, let it compete. Like most things these days, they rule by demands, orders, and fiats. Screw them. I refuse to even watch PGA events anymore. Just a bunch of spoiled rich jacka**es. I can still enjoy golf, love the game, and not need them. Who knew?
Tom Edrington
Note that the PGA Tour is a player-run organization, unlike the other major sports that have “owners”…..the best players have already taken a stance against the LIV Tour; Also,the LIV Tour has no television partner, no major sponsors AND the PGA Tour generates millions for local charities through its events….the most “uncharitable” country in the world is Saudi Arabia with beheadings, persecution of those who criticize the ruling class….even Phil himself called them “bad motherfuckers” and they truly are….many people have said over the years the NFL should not be a monopoly, or major league baseball and so on so that’s a weak argument you’re making.
rufustelestrats@gmail.com
Yes the Saudi family is not considered “Nice”. The godfather was not nice. The Russian Oligarchs are not nice. The absolute rulers of China, and North Korea are not nice. There is example after example of not nice people in the world but your phone or tv, or parts for your car, even your golf clubs come from these “Not nice” countries.
Slave labor in China and other places around the world. Abhorrent working condition in factories, people who harvest your food, and raw materials working in horrible situations. All of these are “Not Nice”.
Lets face it, if we only dealt with those in the world who were nice and warm and fuzzy it would be a very short list. We all need to be aware whom we get involved with, but the slippery slope argument that the Saudi’s are dangerous, can be applied more often to others than the Nice guy side.
Sure the PGA gives money to charity from each tournament, and that is grand. Lets not kid ourselves into believing that it is a fantastic charity that holds tournaments simply to provide these donations. Millions of dollars swirl around the event, from players and sponsors and patrons alike, the donation is a feel good aside that happens because of the other millions of dollars that are spent each week at the event.
Tom Edrington
You have also failed to mention what a PGA Tour event pumps into a local economy, the Zurich Classic has pumped $600 million into the New Orleans local economy.
baxter cepeda
Laughable Tom that the pga tour is player run. Players re scared Tom. They want LIv. But they are scared. Still The braver players are doing it. And little by little others will follow.
Tom Edrington
The Player Council has HUGE input….but it was previous by-laws, done in conjunction with previous Player Councils and advisory boards that created that by-law.
baxter cepeda
You always mention Tom none of that charity money comes from the tour revenue. They make the charitable people From each town work like dogs through the event to make that charity money. And then the tour gets tax breaks. U are the one Tom always on the soap box about all this.
Tom Edrington
The Tour itself does give money to charities, I did an article when their last tax return was posted….they cut checks to regional associations and charities, still, it’s a small amount compared to their revenues.
rufustelestrats@gmail.com
Once again it comes down to two schools of thought. The PGA is the end all be all of Golf, and every other league is considered second best. I am of an age that I remember the NFL and the AFL as separate leagues. The NBA and the ABA as separate leagues. The fact that there are competing boxing titles.
The competition may just be good for the PGA and its leadership. It may force them to examine some of the criticized practices that it still does, including acting as a unicameral adjudicator of what tournament a individual pro may have “permission” to go play.
Certainly the individual golfers make their deal with the devil regardless of where they play, but when they are considered independent contractors, asking permission to exercise the freedom to play somewhere else seems counterintuitive. PGA does not guarantee any pro a living, expense help, or even the ability to participate until you have reached a certain level. They own all the media associated with your appearance and generally are a monopoly on the highest echelon of golf especially here in the United States.
Let Phil go, let Poulter, El Nino, whom ever else. Kick Kevin NA out of golf. I don’t care, but let the challenge go and this could get interesting. Certainly it might be more interesting that a second rate event like this week, or most every week when the big names stay home and play house. A little fire might stir things up and make golf interesting again.
That is the view from here,
Ruf
Tom Edrington
Ruf:
Once they come over here, the PGA Tour (not PGA) by-laws do not allow releases or waivers and the DP World Tour (European Tour) has said it will not grant releases for the London event.
baxter cepeda
The Pga Tour needs to desperately change that waiver policy. Or the pga tour will never be the same again..the euro tour would likely follow The pga tour.
baxter cepeda
And here I though Robert Garrigus would be the face of LIv.
Must say again, while this provides a great chance for writers to show their best eloquent moral high ground writing; they are living in a fantasy world.
Last nite I stayed up watching Schumacher. A reminder formula 1 works with the Saudis extensively these days. Soccer works with the Saudis extensively. Heck Golf works with the Saudis.
We all work with the Saudis. This is why they have so much money. Stop this moral argument already.
Btw, do we need to go back and review some of the atrocities of governments in our country and all over Europe? How many innocent folks have died in the name our beloved countries?
Now to be clear, I wish no government hurt innocent people, but they pretty much all do.
The moral arguments come off as nothing more than manipulation from the established commissioners and from media whom have grown very accustomed to their cushy relationships with the established golf tours.
Pelley guilt tripping players with the ‘big picture’ is pathetic. Compared to the pga tour and LIv, the euro tour, which hilariously now wants to be called the world tour, still pays like the hooters tour.
Let’s not even get into hooters still being associated with golf.
Tom mentioned all the money’s the pga tour awards players from the fed ex cup and it’s PIp popularity contest. Great money for sure.
But Phil just signed for 30$ million; twice what the fed ex cup champion will get. Literally.
And Phil will play 8 events against about 50 guys; he will be guaranteed huge money in all these events. If he wins any of them he will get about 4$ million. As good as the pga tour money is, this is better.
At least The pga tour is in the ballpark. But the DP World people better inject a lot more money if this tour is going to stay in the conversation.
Imo pelley dropped the biggest ball yet not working with the Saudis when he had the chance because of fear of Monahan. Now we have to wonder if the Asian Tour will overtake the DP world tour in the hiarchy. More than ever Pelleys tour should continue to be called the euro tour; if that considering most of Pelleys big stars are signing with LIv.
Sorry Pelley, The Saudis league is clearly becoming the premier world tour, if there is one.
There is only one course of action left:
compromise.
LIv wants 7-8 weeks. Simple. Give it to them.
LIv takes pressure off the established tours. This way golfers can make their money comparable to other sports while the established tours can continue to underpay. It’s a win win.
On a side note, the pga tour should absolutely put all that popularity pip contest money back into competition money ASAP —as the professor Patrick Cantlay has argued-to help its purses be more comparable with LIv. And because it’s the right thing to do.
Frankly the pga tour needs to have 8 tournaments that pay the winner 4-5$ million. They clearly have the money.
Sure, pip is theoretically great for 5 or so of the perennial popular players whom may be more loyal to Monahan as a result, but for most guys that money doesn’t motivate them.
Ironically Phil is the second most popular, but still potentially passed on that pip cash for Livs funds.
What does that tell you?
It tells me pip money is not enough even for the guy who is guaranteed second in the pip every year; much less everyone else.
So why not satisfy 100 or more players by putting that pip money back to rewarding the best players? Which is how it should be anyway.
All the tours tour should have bonuses for the huge stars like Tiger and Phil; but this silly pip system competition has done nothing but damage the integrity of how the pga tour rewards players.
Pip has led to distasteful squabbles between top players like Brooks and Bryson, which has influenced ugly squabbles all the way down to profanity laden fights between journeymen like Na and whatever that crazy guys name is. Pip is a terrible system regardless of how much money it grants.
Obviously the fed ex cup grants huge money, 15$ million to the winner, big wow, but Phil got 30$ for signing. And that signing bonus is probably for a short period of time, not the rest of Leftys career.
Meanwhile the pga tour threatens to end careers.
I get Saudi has committed atrocities, but may the country with no sins cast the first stone.
This is about money. The money players can make between majors. Simple as that. And Phil is now the face of that money.
Meanwhile good luck to the pga tour considering its face —Tiger- plays about 4 times a year, and literally non of those 4 events are run by Monahan or Pelleys tours.
Did I mention it’s time to compromise?
Did I mention this is great for players?
And that no one should be trying to stop players from having this?
This league provides professional golfers 400 more incredibly rewarded starts for top players. The players should all be locked in arms on this issue.
Players should not allow themselves to be misled by Rory who seems way to concerned with image. As with the Olympics, Rory is clearly scared of the unknown. Players cannot allow themselves to be led by a scared guy who hasn’t won a major in like a decade because he can’t hit a green from 10o yards.
I don’t know how the pga tour changes it bylaws, but they desperately need to change the one that says no waivers are granted to events in North America. If this Commish can’t do it, it’s time to find a new face that will.
Tom Edrington
Uh, NO!
baxter cepeda
Not only is it potentially illegal to black ball players for trying a competitor. It’s terrible for business. Even the list of players we know of, if they never play The pga tour again, that would be terrible for the pga tour.
Phil. Sergio. Adam. Just to make a few. HUGE losses. Meanwhile I’m being put to sleep by the Lashleys and Smalleys of the world. Heck even Rahm puts me to sleep. Same with morikawa.
They are losing many of the guys fans like to watch regardless of rankings.
The pga tour is a mess right now Tom. Their hard balling is backfiring. They need to get their stuff together. Because this is real now.
Tom Edrington
The PGA Tour is quite healthy, great young talent ALL COMMITTED to the PGA Tour — it is a PRIVILEGE to play on the PGA Tour and that privilege must be earned; Also, with no TV and no big name sponsors, the companies that pay players HUGE amounts of money to be seen on the PGA Tour would go away…..As a card-holder, you agree to abide by the organizations by-laws…..we’ll continue to disagree on this Baxter as long as you think the LIV Tour is viable…it is not; Oh by the way, wait until you see what the LIV Tour is proposing for ticket prices….HUGE and there won’t be any spectators at those prices….