Leave it to The Sheriff Of Nottingham (aka PGA Tour Commish Jay Monahan) and his Evil Band Of Henchmen to find yet a new way to rob, from well, virtually anyone and give to its own overflowing coffers.
As crazy as it sounds, the ever-greedy PGA Tour and its sports-betting partner, DraftKings have announced plans to build their own Sportsbook at TPC Scottsdale, the course where the Waste Management Phoenix Open is played annually.
A bill passed on Monday in the Arizona State Legislature that will legalize sports betting in the state. The ink wasn’t even dry on the bill and the state’s Governor, Doug Ducey hadn’t even signed the final bill when the TOUR made its little announcement on Wednesday.
Of course there’s no coincidence that the Phoenix Open is the Tour’s biggest draw, attendance-wise. The Tour claims it will build “a visually stunning 19th-hole experience” where gamblers can place bets year-round.
Other sportsbooks may launch in the state before the end of 2021.
What’s really a head-scratcher here is how a 501-C-3 “not-for-profit” corporation like the PGA Tour is allowed to dip its greedy hands into the world of gambling.
If there’s ever been an abuser of the 501-C-3, it’s the PGA Tour. The PGA Tour claims it raises millions for charity and the individual tournaments do just that as organization like The Thunderbirds in Phoenix and the Salesmanship Club in Dallas do all the heavy lifting in the form of local fundraising. Truth be known, the PGA Tour is very astute at giving away “OPM” — Other People’s Money.
Now it would be a different story if the PGA Tour added this to their announcement of it’s new “Bookie-Joint” at TPC Scottsdale: The PGA Tour will donate all profits from its gambling operation to local charities.
Truth be known, we’d see pigs fly before the Tour would make that announcement.
Let the gambling begin!
Tommy Fleetwood’s Terrible Back Nine At Harbor Town:
Things started pretty well for Tommy Fleetwood Thursday during the first round of The Heritage at Harbor Town Golf Links.
The English star went bogey-free for his first 10 holes on his way and sat at three-under par with eight holes to play. Then the lights went out on Tommy and his card looked like a 14-handicapper took over for him at that point.
He bogeyed 11 and 12 then at the par three 14th he made triple-bogey six without hitting his ball in the water that guards the right side of the green. His ball went way left and unplayable. If that wasn’t bad enough, he rode the bogey-train to the clubhouse with bogeys at 16, 17 and 18 to finish with a 42 coming home. His 76 left him in a tie for 128th with an early exit from the tournament highly probable on Friday.
Kevin Dougherty Leads MGM Resorts Championship:
Kevin Dougherty’s opening 66 gave him a one-shot lead Thursday at the MGM Resorts Championship outside Las Vegas as the Korn Ferry Tour is back in action.
Dougherty had a one-shot lead over Sam Saunders, grandson of Arnold Palmer, who lost his PGA Tour card and has been playing in some Korn Ferry events. Peter Uihlein, another player who lost his Tour card, was one of a group of six players who were tied at four-under par at the Sun Mountain Golf Club.
2 Comments
baxter cepeda
No arguments on the gambling Tom.
Maybe the pga tour can start a charity to help all those overserved college boys at Scottsdale with newfound gambling addictions.
It’s amazing our politicians held off this long considering the money.
The tour has already risked losing its non profit status recently without gambling revenue; you would think at some point this issue will come up again.
Monahan Better start getting those big golf names ready to lobby the capital again.
I just hope we are all ready to handle for yet another major crisis in this country brought to us by that 1%.
Tom Edrington
Profiting from the gambling shouldn’t be allowed for a 501-C-3 AND, if the Tour was truly charitable, it would give all those gambling profits to charity, which it won’t. Jay Monahan IS the Sheriff Of Nottingham.